The Open Door
by JillRJohnson
Summary: What happens when Lucas and realDerek do NOT show up the night Peyton is attacked by psyhoDerek? Who will save Peyton? Who will help her heal? BrookePeyton friendship on the mend.
1. Does Anybody Hear Her

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything regarding One Tree Hill. I'm simply a big fan and wish they'd get the Brooke/Peyton friendship back on now!! The title of this fic is the same as the title of Evanescence's most recent album. Any songs used in this fic will be credited with title and artist at the beginning of the chapters.

**Warning: **Considering the subject matter please read at your own risk. Will contain violence and the darkness that follows.

**Reviews: **My first One Tree Hill fic and my first ever on I'd LOVE some reviews if y'all have the time! Thank you for reading!

**Description: **What would have happened if Lucas and Real-Derek didn't show up at Peyton's house the night Psycho-Derek attacked her? Who would she turn to? Who would rescue her? Brooke/Peyton Friendship.

**THE OPEN DOOR**

By Jill R Johnson

Prologue

Peyton sighed. She was back in her room, safe and sound, knowing that her stalker was behind bars. She thought of Psycho-Derek as Lucas had named him. His mere image petrified her. When the police had called Lucas earlier at Nathan's press conference, Peyton had never been so relieved. Her relief coming after twenty-four hours of terror. She tried to call up a happier memory and as always, her thoughts fell on Brooke Davis. Her ex-best friend.

She knew Brooke would have killed Derek, had Brooke still cared. The happy memories turned bitter as she looked at the one picture she still had hanging up of Brooke. It had been taken at Haley's house during a slumber party. The slumber party where Brooke had promised to always be there for her P. Sawyer.

Peyton shook her head in sadness and slipped off her shoes. She was about to change clothes when she became keenly aware that her room was completely shut up. The blinds were drawn tight and her bedroom door, as well as every door to the outside of the house, was completely locked. She knew she shouldn't be scared, and yet something was screaming at her from the back of her mind. Something was out of place that shouldn't be.

It was like a puzzle piece that finally clicked. Her closet door, which was normally open, was shut. She always kept that door open. Her pulse began to pound in her head and small beads of sweat formed on her forehead. It was as though she couldn't resist opening it. She knew in her mind that she should just run and call the police, but her hand reached for the knob anyway.

She swung the door open and before Derek's face registered to her, he had a hold of her, his breath heavy in her ear.

"Hello Peyton."

Chapter One

Brooke was singing along to one pop group and then another as she turned right onto the street where Peyton lived. She tried not to think about the curly blonde as she instead focused her thoughts on the hot older guy she had just had a first date with.

"Rachel, you totally rule," Brooke spoke to the air. She would have to remember Rachel kindly on her next birthday. It was Rachel who had set her up on the date with Nick.

Brooke changed CDs as she drove. She knew she was getting close to Peyton's house and she wanted to avoid looking at it. The guilt consumed her enough already. She already hated herself for throwing away the best friend she ever had.

Brooke frowned slightly and with venom spoke to no one, "And now Rachel is my BFF."

She was about to pick up her phone and call Rachel when someone darted into the street in front of her car. She swerved right and missed him by a foot. She slammed on the brakes and looked into her rearview mirror. It was him, Peyton's brother or was it stalker now? She had heard too many rumors to keep it all straight. She looked at him as he stood in the road, staring at her car. It was then that Brooke realized that Derek was shirtless, out of breath, and obviously angry.

She could see marks on his chest. She thought they looked like scratch marks. Brooke held her breath when Derek finally turned his back to her and she saw the dark angel on his back. The image gave Brooke the chills and frightened her. She could easily see that the angel was supposed to be Peyton.

"Peyton?" Brooke whispered.

Derek got into a car and sped away, tires screeching. Brooke finally let her breath escape her lungs. She slowly turned her head toward Peyton's house. The front door was wide open. Brooke shuddered at the eerie stillness surrounding Peyton's house.

"Peyton," Brooke said louder as she opened the car door and sprinted to the front door.

She was terrified by what she found as she entered the front door. A bloody handprint marked the wall going up the stairs. Brooke began to tremble, not wanting to go any further. But a promise she had made to Peyton began to replay in her head. She would always be there for P. Sawyer.

"Always," Brooke muttered. She looked up the stairs wondering if Peyton was even alive. Brooke wasn't supposed to care any more. She had called off their friendship. She had deemed Peyton unworthy of being a friend to her. But all those careless, meaningless words were forgotten when she heard the sound coming from upstairs.

It was a whisper, and a whimper melded into one small utterance. Brooke's heart broke further with each step she took toward Peyton. Her Peyton.

Brooke didn't want to see what had happened to her, but she knew Peyton needed someone. Would she ask her to leave? Would she insist on help from someone else? Brooke didn't care, she had to help.

She reached the top of the stairs and could hear more clearly the sobs and the broken whimpers of a very scared, lonely person. She paused outside of Peyton's bedroom door. She couldn't possibly be prepared for what she saw next. Turning the corner into Peyton's room, she saw the most heart wrenching, blood-chilling sight a friend would ever have to witness.

"Oh God," Brooke's whispered gasp was immediately heard by an ultra-hyper-sensitive Peyton.

Peyton slid off the bed, obviously terrified. Her naked, bruised body appeared so small in what little light the melted candles offered. Brooke took in the sight of the bedroom. It looked like a romantic setup, but looking at Peyton curled into the corner like a lost child, she knew the romance was one-sided.

Brooke approached her friend cautiously, "Peyton, it's Brooke." She studied Peyton more closely and realized that her friend was marked with smudges of blood on her legs, arms and face.

The scared labored breaths that came from the shaking blonde immediately turned into crying, "Brooke?"

"Yeah," Brooke knelt next to her friend, "yeah, Peyton, it's me."

"Brooke." Peyton stated as she allowed the brunette to wrap her arms around her. Brooke could feel the shaking before her arms ever fully wrapped around Peyton.

She didn't want to hurt Peyton, and since the room was dimly lit she wasn't sure where Peyton was injured. She knew that her lip and forehead, and cheek were bleeding, but she wasn't sure what other injuries she had incurred. Again she looked at Peyton's bare legs, the blood and bright marks there indicated what had happened. The thought of what the psycho-stalker might have done to Peyton, enraged and immobilized Brooke.

"Peyton, sweetie, I need to ask you a hard question."

Peyton said nothing and continued to hold on to Brooke for dear life.

"Peyton, did he…" Brooke wanted to be delicate and already knew the answer to the question, "Did he…Peyton, did he rape you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I ached inside and out. Being without clothes only vaguely affected me. I could feel Brooke's arms tightly holding me making me feel almost safe. The question burned into my mind, making me want to retch. Even Angels Cry by Jars of Clay played over and over in my thoughts, a defense mechanism against Brooke's question.

_Why whisper you don't have to worry _

_we'll survive for smiles _

_underneath the brittle frozen light_

_Proof that you're alive_

_Cold fingers find the curve below your tired eyes, _

_no comfort in familiar places, _

_not this time hold it deep inside, _

_oh sister, if you wake up in the night _

_what's the fun in letting in the light _

_no need to worry baby even angels cry. _

"Peyton? Did he?"

God, she was persistent. What was the question? What do you think Brooke? Don't make me say it. I managed to make eye contact with her for the first time since I had heard Brooke say my name. Brooke's face was so filled with ache and regret and sorrow. My tears fell even harder because I knew I had my best friend back. It took hell to bring her here, but she was here. Before I could stop myself from answering my head involuntarily nodded yes to Brooke's questions.

Brooke pulled me closer to her and I shook against her. The fear was never going to leave me. I knew it. We both knew it. I stopped sobbing long enough to see the candles burning in the room. When had he lit those? I didn't even remember. Between opening the closet door and seeing Brooke, there was an amount of time I wanted to block out. An hour of hell, of nightmarish torture that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. And yet I knew it would always be there…a waking night terror.

"Brooke," my voice was no louder than a soft wisp of air, "What am I going to do?"

Brooke looked as surprised by my question as I had been by hers. But it was quickly replaced by resolution, "We need to call the police Pey. Where's your cell phone?"

I knew she was going to say that. I nodded, knowing I needed to do what needed to be done. I was the only one who could get him off the streets. I pointed to the floor near the bedroom door. Brooke looked to where I was indicating and noticed my cell phone. Her number was the only one on speed dial I could remember and it had been the one I was trying to dial when Derek had finally knocked it from my hands.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke dared to venture away from Peyton just long enough to grab the cell phone. She noticed the bloody fingerprints on it and also noticed that her cell phone was the last number pulled up. Peyton was going to call her for help. Her Peyton was fighting for her life in this very room, and it was Brooke she was going to call.

Brooke grabbed the phone and got back to the spot where Peyton was beginning to fall into a steady stare more than a continuous sob. It was both frightening and sad to see her best friend in such turmoil. Brooke wasn't sure she could handle Peyton alone.

She slid back down to the floor and wrapped an arm around Peyton again covering her this time with a blanket from the chair in the room. She then dialed the police and waited. When the voice on the line came on, she explained the situation and the urgency. They were sending an ambulance and several squad cars.

Brooke hung up the phone and only briefly worried that Derek might come back to kill Peyton. She knew in that instant that she would lay down her life for the blonde's.

"Peyton, they're coming with an ambulance. They need you to go to the hospital where someone from the Special Victims Unit will take care of your statement. And you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

My heart stuttered in my chest as Brooke seemed to say that she wouldn't be there for the interview and exam. I laced a firm hand on her forearm.

"Brooke, please don't leave me."

God, I hated how tiny and needy I sounded. But I did need her. More than she could possibly know. This wasn't something I could talk to Lucas about. He was amazing and had been there for me, but this…it was different. So very different.

"No, P. Sawyer, I wouldn't leave you. Never again. Never again BFF."

It was a silly thing to say and yet it made all the bad things seem survivable. I shook off a chill and remembered that I was naked.

"Can I put clothes on?"

Brooke looked at me funny and then nodded, her familiar, comforting voice rough with concern, "Yeah, of course. Let me get you something."

She left my side for a mere moment. The pain in my body took inventory of itself as each ache called out to me. I hadn't even noticed that my wrist was swollen and turning several shades of black and blue. Possibly broken, probably sprained. My thighs were throbbing from the pain his knees had caused. Flashes of the night sped through my mind. It couldn't have happened…not to me.

And yet there was my cheerleading uniform torn and abandoned on the hardwood floor. Tears began to roll down my cheek again. Brook noticed the uniform at the same time I did and she looked at me solemnly.

"We're going to make it through this Peyton. Together. The two of us."

She moved toward me as she spoke and handed me a pair of black sweat pants and a long sleeve red t-shirt. Perfect. She helped me stand. I still had the blanket wrapped around me. She handed me my underwear and I managed to slide them on under the blanket. I had been in more embarrassing situations with Brooke and we weren't strangers but this was so different. I didn't want her to see it. The blood, the bruises. I didn't want her to see the finger marks on my neck and shoulders. On my back and thighs. I didn't want her to see everything I had become so suddenly ashamed of.

"It's okay, Peyton."

I needed her help with my shirt, and my pants. I looked at the candles burning next to the bed. Brooke's brows creased in anger. I heard her curse under her breath and I knew she was damning Derek to hell. She turned on the bedroom lights and then blew out the candles, leaving us flooded in bright light and a smoky smell. The light hurt my eyes, but lessened my fears.

She turned to me again. She nodded and so I dropped the blanket. I was naked with exception of the clean underwear. I heard her suck in a deep breath. I apparently had no idea how bad it was. I didn't look in the full-length mirror. I was on autopilot. Everything was so surreal. So surreal that I hoped I would wake up soon.

But Brooke's warm hand took my cold one and she looked at me, "Peyton, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I haven't been here for you."

I couldn't help it. I started crying again. I was so glad she was the one who found me just minutes ago. She was about action. I was about thought. If Brooke hadn't walked through that door…wait…why did she?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke's hands were shaking with anger as she looked over Peyton's body. She was beaten. She was held down and bruised , held down and stolen from. She looked over the various cuts and abrasions, the three worse cuts being on her face.

"Why did you come here?"

Brooke's heart sank as she realized that Peyton was asking if she had come to be friend again. She knew she couldn't lie to Peyton.

"I was heading home when I saw him. He ran in front of my car. Then I noticed that he was shirtless and had come from your house and that your door was still open. I just knew you needed me. And I wasn't going to ignore that feeling."

They heard the ambulance and police approach. Brooke needed to say more. She wanted to tell Peyton to forget anything she had ever said, but she guessed it didn't matter any more. Peyton had much bigger things to deal with.

"I always love you Pey. You know that, right?"

Peyton looked at Brooke with sad, dark, lifeless eyes.

"Yeah, me too."

Peyton was dressed and Brooke sat with her on her desk. They looked at the bed Peyton had refused to sit on. Brooke unwillingly imagined the night as it had gone for Peyton. The fear that had resounded in Peyton's voice resonated in Brooke's heart. She looked at the bed, trying not to see the things that had happened there to the girl next to her.

They heard the paramedics calling out, "Hello? Anyone here?"

Brooke walked to the bedroom door and called them up, "We're in here."

The paramedics, a man and a woman, came in without much noise. The woman looked compassionately at Peyton while the male tried to avoid looking directly at her. The female paramedic explained to Peyton that the only thing they were going to do there was going to be to take her blood pressure and check her immediate injuries. As they explained to Peyton the ride to the hospital, Brooke could tell she was only halfway listening.

As Peyton was looked over by the female paramedic, the police arrived and got a statement from Brooke. They then told her that she would be questioned again by the special team detectives. Brooke knew that the slang term for those detectives was rape cops.

When the police were done with Brooke and as the paramedics finished up with Peyton, Brooke made a phone call. She knew exactly who needed to be there for both Peyton and herself. She hoped Peyton would forgive her for the phone call.

She looked again at Peyton. A slow sigh escaped her locked jaw. She nodded as the paramedic asked if they were ready to go. She led Peyton down the stairs holding her hand the entire way. Brooke knew she was going to be by Peyton's side the entire night, no matter what details were revealed, no matter how hard it was going to be to listen to.


	2. Even Angels Cry

-1Chapter 2

Brooke watched as one nurse and then the next passed Peyton, looking down at her in disdain. She hadn't been considered a true emergency, therefore she had earned a seat within an exam room but had been sitting for thirty minutes without one word from a doctor.

Brooke's agitation was visible with every nail she bit off. She alternated between pacing the hallway, always in Peyton's sight, and holding her friend's hand. She paused, tired of her own impatience, and studied Peyton closely. Brooke hadn't realized how thin Peyton was. Despite the fact that she was tall and her eyes held the wisdom of a grandmother, she looked like a mere child. A scared, lonely child.

"Peyton," Brooke knelt down on the floor in front of Peyton's chair and took both of Peyton's hands in her own, "You know you aren't alone, right?"

Peyton sighed, and tried to smile, but failed. She shrugged. Brooke could tell that she was simply trying not to cry anymore. Brooke sat in the chair next to Peyton and wrapped a loving arm around her. She knew the only thing she could do for Peyton was to be there, just be there.

Brooke was thinking of ways to make up for the fast few months when she had been so awful to Peyton. She felt in her heart that there weren't enough ways. She was contemplating a trip to Hawaii with Peyton when she heard the melee from down the corridor.

"I am as close as family as you can get," the woman's voice was loud and demanding. Brooke knew that voice.

She gave Peyton's hand a squeeze before exiting the exam room. As she turned left out of the door she could see the tiny, but formidable woman at the nurses' station.

The woman frowned deeply, "You listen to me, you old bitty. There's a young girl in there who needs me right now. According to her friend she was…"

She stopped her tirade when she saw Brooke approach, "Oh, Brooke. Thank God."

Brooke hugged Karen and felt some relief, but not much, "Hi Karen. I'm sorry I called you, but I didn't know who else to tell."

Karen took Brooke's hand and looked down the hall to the exam rooms, "Has she been examined yet?"

Brooke shook her head no and started to cry, "Karen, I don't know what to do for her. It's bad."

"What happened tonight Brooke?" Karen looked truly concerned. Brooke knew she considered Peyton and herself as daughters.

Brooke took a deep breathe, knowing it was going to be harder to tell Karen than it was to talk to the uniformed police, "Karen, Peyton's stalker…he found her at home alone. It's bad."

"How bad, Brooke?" Karen's voice was now on the edge of panic.

"She was raped."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I sat there alone. The first time I had been alone since Derek had left my house. My body felt numb. But my thoughts and emotions were alive and chaotic. I began to ponder the possibilities of what would have happened if Brooke hadn't shown up. Would I have called the cops myself? Would I have taken a shower and washed away every remnant of that monster?

I'm glad that Brooke found me. I didn't want to make any decisions. I made wrong decisions all the time, and it wasn't the time for wrong decisions.

I could hear Brooke talking in the hallway. Her voice was a whisper. The whisper she uses when she's telling a secret. I knew what secret she was telling though. It was my secret. I didn't mind, because before too long, the other voice registered in my brain. Karen Roe. Lucas' mom.

"Are you sure, Brooke?" I heard her ask my best friend.

Brooke didn't answer aloud, so I assumed she nodded her head. I wondered if this was how it would be for the next few days or weeks. People I knew and loved talking about me, around me, bu never to me, too scared of my response, or even my non-response.

I looked around the room. It was big for an ER exam room. I'd seen plenty of them, and this one was huge. There was even a closet. A closet? Wait…it was my closet. My mind was playing tricks on me as suddenly the past few hours came steamrolling into my present moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**"Hello, Peyton."**_

_**Derek's hand wrapped around Peyton's mouth daring her to stop breathing. She gasped and struggled against the tight hold he had on her. She bit his hand and he back-handed her, sending her face down to the floor.**_

_**Peyton quickly recovered, determined to fight him. She kicked her legs out and nailed him in the jaw. She would have laughed at his expression if she wasn't so scared. She scrambled to her feet and ran for her door. Just as she reached the top of the stairs and tasted an escape, she was forced backwards against the wall behind her and then slammed against the doorframe.**_

_**"Where are you going, Peyton? Don't you know we belong together?"**_

_**His breath was hot against the tears that were falling against her cheek. She could smell the sick scent of his breath. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth with his own. Her own breath was stolen from her as he pressed his lips hard against hers.**_

_**She pushed hard against his bare chest hating to have to touch him. His hands slipped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel him against her and knew then exactly what she was fighting to stop. **_

_**She screamed, a low, guttural sound that was surely unheard by neighbors. She kicked at him again but was futile in her efforts. His strength was unhuman and Peyton briefly wondered what drug he was on. He pushed her inside her room and slammed the door closed behind him. **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Peyton?" Brooke was by Peyton's side in no time at all as she realized that Peyton wasn't mentally in the room with them. "Peyton? Come on, you're safe here. You're safe with us. He's not here."

Brooke looked to Karen for support. Karen nodded not really sure what to do either.

"Hey, Peyton! Hey now. Listen to me. You're in the ER. Peyton?"

Peyton looked at Brooke as though seeing her for the first time that night. She fell, exhausted into Brooke's arms and together they slid to the floor. Brooke looked up at Karen pleadingly. Karen knew what needed to be done. She walked out of the room, leaving Brooke to console and truly inconsolable Peyton.

Five minutes later, Karen returned with a woman in scrubs. Brooke looked relieved for Peyton's sake when the woman introduced herself as Dr. George.

Brooke helped Peyton up and guided her to the chair. Peyton wouldn't look up, she wouldn't speak. Brooke wondered if she would ever say anything again.

"Dr. George. I'm Brooke and this is Peyton."

The doctor nodded her head sympathetically at Brooke and then turned all of her attention to Peyton. She knelt down where Brooke had been earlier, in front of Peyton.

"Peyton, I understand you had a pretty bad night."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That's an understatement. My thoughts were slowly catching up to present time. I had heard of flashbacks in some short thirty minute seminar on dealing with victims of assault. I didn't know how bad they were. Victim?

The doctor helped me stand and I could feel my whole body shaking. My muscles felt like jelly. My bones like pretzels. She helped me sit on the bed in the room. The mattress was firm beneath me. Brooke sat next to me as the doctor took my wrist in her hand. I pulled my eyes away from the alternate universe I was in and put them on the black and bruised hand that was now in the doctor's possession.

"I don't think this is broken, but we'll need to do x-rays to be sure," Dr. George looked straight at me and I found myself compelled to make eye contact with her.

I looked quickly away and nodded. An x-ray didn't sound like much fun, but I knew there was going to be plenty of un-fun things to come. She rattled off a list of tests to run to the nurse who had just entered the room. I didn't recognize any of the medical terms for the tests. But I didn't need to. The doctor informed me that they would check for STDs and various other things.

My heart skipped four beats. There were consequences to psycho-Derek's actions that I hadn't even began to consider. I felt my chest constrict. It was getting harder to breathe. I knew it was panic, and so did Brooke. She placed her hand on my back to let me know she was beside me and behind me. My friend, my support. I paced my breathing and continued to listen to the doctor.

I managed to look at Karen for a split second, too ashamed to look at anyone too long. She seemed so concerned. I wondered if she would tell Lucas. I hoped not. I didn't want to tell anyone how stupid I was for trusting this man.

I heard Dr. George ask a question, and when I didn't answer she asked it again, "Do you consent to a physical exam to gather evidence?"

The heavy breath caught in my lungs felt like wet bricks. Did I consent to exam. Could I consent to someone looking at me, touching me? Brooke's hand moved up and down on my back. I had to. What if he had a list or something and he was a repeat offender. What if Brooke was on that list. I had to do it for whoever was next on his list. He had to go to jail. Whoever he was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke was allowed to stay in the exam room with Peyton, at Peyton's request and Karen volunteered to wait in the waiting area. She had also volunteered to drive Brooke and Peyton to wherever they needed to go after it was over.

The doctor had not offered one utterance of objection to Brooke staying. She could tell that Brooke had a calming effect on her patient. Dr. George and her nurse left the room so that Peyton could undress fully and wrap a sheet around herself. Brooke could tell by the look in Peyton's eyes that she dreaded very much the exam to come and the process of undressing in the bright lights.

Brooke held her breath as Peyton, with her back turned toward her, pulled at the red long-sleeve t-shirt she wore. They both winced as she finally took it off. Peyton shuddered in pain, while Brooke shook with sympathy as she looked at Peyton's back. The bright lights revealed the truth of Derek's touch. Bruises ran up and down Peyton's back, mixed in with scratch marks and what Brooke surmised were bite marks.

Her stomach turned sour as she took in the injuries in full spectrum. As Peyton slowly turned around Brooke saw that the bruising was beginning to turn to dark shades from bright ones. They continued to Peyton's midsection and chest. Brooke swallowed hard, trying to keep the bile from rising in her throat.

He had hurt her badly. Not only in the obvious, physical way, but so much more deeply than that. Brooke looked into Peyton's eyes, trying not to stare at the cuts on her forehead, cheek and lip. There was a loss there that Peyton had never shown. It was more than losing a parent. It was more than losing their friendship. Brooke knew that it was possible that Peyton had lost her soul to a thief.

Peyton slid the black sweatpants off, trying to ignore the cascade of tears falling from her face. Occasionally she would swipe at them, knocking them to the floor. Brooke wanted to hug her and never let her go. She wanted to say the right things to make it all disappear, but even Brooke knew that no amount of magic would solve Peyton's problem. It was going to take time.

Brooke took inventory of the bruises on Peyton's legs. The scratches and cuts on her thighs indicated a struggle Brooke would never imagine. And she didn't want to. As her eyes blurred with unshed tears, Brooke noticed for the first time cuts on the back of Peyton's leg, near the top.

"Peyton? Did he have a knife?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Peyton didn't know what to do, or where to turn. The panic coursing through her veins was preventing her from thinking clearly. Fighting was a natural instinct and she continued to fight him even as he slammed his forehead against hers sending her backwards and onto her bed. **_

_**Immediately her skull throbbed with the pain, but that pain was quickly replaced with deeper fear as he crawled on top of her in her own bed. Dizzy and nauseous, Peyton continued to fight, and continued to be battered for her troubles. **_

_**Derek had an evil smile. One that could torture the devil himself. Peyton's wrists were trapped in one of his hands. Her arms ached with the contortion act. Derek stopped moving and his smile got bigger as he slowly pulled a pocketknife from his jeans' pocket. **_

_**"You're mine Peyton. All mine. And I'm going to make sure everyone knows it, forever."**_

_**He managed to hold his knife and flip Peyton onto her stomach in one motion. She screamed as loudly as she could, not knowing if that moment would be her last or not. She could feel the cold steel edge, cutting into her skin. Deep enough to hurt, but not so deep that she wouldn't survive it. **_

_**"I marked you Peyton. I made sure everyone knows your mine. I made it say so."**_

_**He flipped her onto her back again. Peyton tried to look anywhere but at him. Her vision was clouded with the saltwater drops that continuously fell from her eyes. Her cheerleading uniform provided little protection from his wandering, lustful eyes. **_

_**And as he slipped his knife under her skirt and ripped the fabric beneath she realized that she was not going to be rescued. She tried to protest. She tried to fight. She screamed no. She pled for her life, but he did not stop. He would not stop. **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I knew what she was looking at before she even asked the question. Brooke was always upfront and honest. She never assumed and she never hesitated to ask the right questions. I felt the back of my thigh and traced the knife marks.

"What does it say Brooke?"

She looked at me hesitantly before answering, "I don't know. It's covered in blood."

I wanted to wash it away, but Brooke reminded me that there could be evidence there. I crossed my arms over my chest trying to find some way to guard myself from the embarrassment and shame. I looked at Brooke and dropped my eyes to the floor again.

"He said I was his," my voice betrayed me by cracking as I spoke, "He said I was his and then he carved something onto my leg. He said everyone would know now."

Brooke shook her head, "I can't read it."

I pulled the flimsy excuse for a sheet around me and sat on the edge of the table. My entire being wanted to leave. Bu I had to get this over with first. Brooke sat next to me and held my hand for the thousandth time that night. I wanted to tell her so much. I wanted to be told so much. But I could only think of one thing to say.

"Brooke?"

"What?"

I was almost too shy to ask her.

She was looking at me anxiously, and her voice was soft and easy, "What is it P. Sawyer?"

She hadn't called me that in forever. "Do you think maybe, when we leave here, I can stay with you tonight?"

Brooke smiled. Not just the patronizing grin she does sometimes, but the happy smile, "Of course you can Peyton. But you know I'm living with Rachel, right?"

I nodded. I actually liked Rachel, as long as I wasn't the one receiving the crap-end of one of her schemes.

"And you know she'll want to know what's going on, right?" Brooke was protecting me. I was beginning to think she had been protecting me for a long time now.

I shrugged, "The whole school will know what happened in a few days time. Might as well tell the grapevine herself."

Brooke nodded again and looked at me so sweetly, and sadly, "Peyton, I think you're pretty brave, you know that?"

I almost laughed at the irony, "I don't feel very brave."

Before she could convince me how strong I was, the doctor came back in ready to do the exam. I was about to find out how unbrave I could be.


	3. Stand Still and Look Pretty

-1AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for the reviews. You guys are awesome! It motivates me like crazy. So thank y'all so much for taking the time to read this stuff and to make me feel good about it. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Chapter 3

I felt the doctor trying to quickly perform the exam. She was gentle, but I was in more pain than I knew. I closed my eyes, but every time I did I saw him. I saw the massive tattoo of me on his back. I saw what he called love in his eyes, I called it evil. Closing my eyes was no longer an option for me. So I opened them and looked up.

Brooke's face was above mine, her eyes peering into my soul. She could always read me, even when she didn't want to. I could see the tears in her eyes and I could tell how hard she was trying not to cry. Sooner or later, those tears would fall, for her, for me.

I must have flinched from something the doctor had done because Brooke's grasp on my hand got tighter. It was a small comfort in this nightmare. Small, but so needed. I looked into her eyes and continued to hold that contact, as did she. She was keeping me in the present. My uncontrollable thoughts wanted to run back to my room and relive the nightmare over and over. I didn't want to. So Brooke held me there. In the present.

I heard the doctor's gloves snap. She was done. I breathed a small sigh of relief, until I realized that the pictures were next. They were going to photograph me, all of me. Suddenly the present time was lost to me and I was thrown back into my nightmare.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**"Stop fighting me Peyton. Stop."**_

_**Derek was saying the same words Peyton had been screaming. And like magic, Derek stopped everything he was doing. He looked around the room, out of breath.**_

_**He looked back to Peyton, "This is all wrong. This isn't how I want it."**_

_**Peyton dared to hope that maybe he wouldn't take everything from her. He got off of her and the bed. Peyton thought about running. But she knew she would never make it to the door and get it unlocked before he would beat her down again. **_

_**She watched him pace anxiously around her room, looking for something. Finally he went into her closet. Peyton glanced again at her bedroom door. She could make it. Before she could move, Derek had returned from the closet. He came toward her with purpose. In his hands he carried a small box and candles. Five or six white long candles. **_

_**Peyton's stomach turned as Derek spoke, "Romance is important Peyton. If we're going to do this I need you to know that I love you."**_

_**He spread the candles throughout the room and lit them all. He turned off the overhead light and smiled at Peyton, who was shaking with fear. **_

_**"It's okay, Peyton. I'm not going to hurt you."**_

_**Peyton almost laughed out loud. He had already hurt her. Her wrist throbbed and her leg burned where he had carved into her skin. She looked at him with fire, the fire of anger and hatred. She had never despised someone so much in her entire life. **_

_**"Look Peyton," Derek opened the box and sat next to her, "See. I love you. I took all of these pictures."**_

_**He spread pictures of Peyton all over the bed. Peyton's heart stopped beating as she tried to figure out how long he had been watching her. Her skin crawled and ached to be free of him. He leaned into her and just as she began to fight, he pushed her heard back onto the bed. **_

_**She was surrounded by pictures of herself. It disgusted her. It shamed her. It scared her beyond belief. She wanted to leave the room. She fought hard. She fought until her nails were filled with his skin and blood. She scratched at his chest and face, and it seemed to make him enjoy himself even more. She kicked, but her legs were pinned to the bed with his knees. Her arms were free but seemed to be more like annoying insects to him, rather than the weapons Peyton wanted them to be. **_

_**He slapped her and she became still. She was conscious, but she was no longer in that time. Her mind was seeking refuge within itself. When her thoughts finally found some form of peace, the image she saw was Brooke.**_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"He took pictures of her," Brooke told the doctor as they waited for Peyton to breathe steadily again.

The doctor's brow creased with concern, "During?"

Brooke shrugged, "I don't know about that. God, I hope not. But this guy had been stalking Peyton for some time. A friend of ours told me so."

"He brought them with him." Peyton was finally able to speak.

It was Brooke's turn to look concerned, "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Derek. He brought pictures that he had taken with him tonight. He put them on the bed."

Brooke didn't want Peyton to have to say it twice. She wasn't even sure she could hear it twice. The doctor seemed to understand the urgent look that Brooke gave her. Brooke helped Peyton stand and together they held their breath as the doctor and nurse shot several photos for the police.

The doctor put all specimens and the digital card into a box and sealed it. She then turned to Peyton, her voice gentle, apprehensive, "Okay, Miss Sawyer. The police are here. They're going to want to take your statement now."

Before Peyton responded, Brooke stepped in, knowing what her friend needed the most, "Can she get cleaned up first. I mean, you've got all the evidence you need, right?"

The doctor nodded, "We have everything including the clothes she had been wearing when it happened. "

Brooke glanced at Peyton. Peyton looked at her curiously. Brooke explained to her, "I put your uniform in a plastic bag when they were putting you in the ambulance. I didn't trust the police to handle it."

Peyton nodded. They turned their attention back to the doctor who said, "We've got everything we need. There's a shower in the bathroom and we'll get you some hospital-issue sweats. We'll need to keep the clothes you were wearing when you came in."

Peyton nodded as though she was on auto-pilot. Brooke's heart ached for her friend. She looked so confused, and lost. She had not let go of Peyton's hand since the last picture had been taken. She had draped the sheet around Peyton and taken her hand. She could feel the tremors in Peyton's hand.

Brooke looked at the doctor and asked her to let Karen know what was going on and how long it would be. She thanked the doctor and the nurse and as soon as they left she turned to Peyton.

"Thank you Brooke." Peyton's voice was tired, so tired.

Brooke blushed, "For what? Being a crappy friend?"

Peyton looked confused but shook it off, "No. For always knowing exactly what I need."

Brooke felt guilty. She had not been there when Peyton needed her the most. She was beginning to blame herself for everything Peyton had been through. At least for everything Peyton had gone through alone.

"So. A shower?"

Peyton nodded again. Almost with enthusiasm. It's what she had been wanting to do since Derek had run from her room.

They went into the bathroom together. Brooke turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. She looked from Peyton to the door. "Do you want me to leave?"

Peyton seemed to consider it for half of a second when she shook her head, "If you don't mind…I just don't want to be alone."

Brooke sat on the counter while Peyton slipped off her sheet and stepped into the hot spray of water. She closed the glass door behind her. There was knock on the bathroom door. Brooke could almost see Peyton freezing.

"It's okay, Peyton, it's probably just the nurse with clothes."

Brooke opened the door to find Karen standing there. Brooke looked back at the shower door, "Peyton, it's Karen, okay? I'm going to stand right here in the door and talk to her for a second."

There was no response, but Brooke knew Peyton had heard her, "Peyton?"

"It's okay." Peyton finally answered.

Karen looked worried, "How's it going?"

Brooke allowed her tears to freefall, "Hard to say really. She's getting clean. I think she'll feel a little better after that."

Karen tucked a strand of Brooke's long hair behind her ear and looked at her reassuringly, "You're the best thing for her right now, Brooke. You know that right?"

Brooke shrugged. She didn't feel like the best thing, "Wouldn't Haley or Lucas be better at this?"

Karen shook her head, "Nope. Peyton wouldn't be able to confide in Lucas about this. Lucas or any man. And Haley, well, Haley is wonderful, but Brooke, Haley isn't you, and right now, Peyton needs you. She was lost without you these past few months. You're her sister Brooke. Not just her best friend, bu her sister."

Brooke knew Karen's words were true. They were like twins. Yin and Yang. Up and Down. Over and Under. In and Out. They were a pair, and as different as they were, they were incomplete without one another.

"I'll be in the waiting room. I've got all night. When the police are finished I'll drive you guys to wherever you want to go."

"Thank you, Karen. For everything. For being the mom neither of us have."

Karen hugged Brooke tightly, "Listen Brooke. You be the one there for Peyton, and when you need to vent, when you need a shoulder during all this, and you will, you come to me, understand?"

"Got it," Brooke hugged Karen again. As Karen left, the nurse came in carrying sweats for Peyton.

The nurse smiled, "Nothing fancy, but they'll do until she gets home."

Brooke thanked her and then after waiting for her to leave, returned to the bathroom. She sat the sweats on the counter, "Peyton, I've got your clothes, and Karen's going to drive us to Rachel's house when we're done giving our statements to the cops."

Peyton didn't respond. Brooke looked to the shower door. She could see Peyton sitting on the floor, her knees drawn to her chest. She was sobbing. Brooke quickly grabbed a towel and opened the shower door. She turned off the water.

"Peyton," it was all Brooke could say. She bent down and sat on the wet floor of the shower next to Peyton and covered the blonde with the oversize towel. It covered her thin frame completely. She placed her arms around Peyton trying to warm her and give her strength at the same time.

"Why, Brooke?" Peyton spoke through sobs, "Why did he do this to me? Is it me? Did I do something to make it happen? Did I cause this? Do I make people want to hurt me? Am I the reason things keep happening? Why my moms died? Why you left me?"

Brooke began to sob with Peyton, "Oh god, Peyton, no. No, no, no. I didn't want to leave you. I never wanted to leave you. I just…I can't explain it, Peyton, but it wasn't you. You have to believe that. And this, what happened tonight, it was all him. Not you, baby girl."

Peyton continued crying until she fell into a quiet reverie next to Brooke. Brooke's mind raced with the things Peyton had said. It had been so much more than Peyton's feelings for Lucas that had made Brooke fight with Peyton. It was so much more than that.

Brooke felt Peyton shift next to her, "It's not your fault, Peyton. None of it. If you don't believe in anything ever again, please at least believe in that."

Brooke helped Peyton up and handed her the sweats. They were black with the hospital logo on the front of the sweatshirt. And they swallowed Peyton whole. Brooke ignored the back of her pants where she had sat on the shower floor. Instead she looked over Peyton as she dressed. She looked at the markings on the back of Peyton's thigh. It made her sad. So very sad. She could read it very clearly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I stared from one cop to the other. One man, one woman. They identified themselves as Special Victims Unit. I thought about the television show with Mariska Hargitay. But this wasn't fiction. They had been questioning me for thirty minutes. I was telling them pieces of the night at a time. It was painful to say, and I know it must have been painful for Brooke to hear.

"Now, Ms. Sawyer, you said that he brought candles and pictures from the closet?"

I nodded. I could feel the question that was coming next.

"Did you have an opportunity to escape?"

Brooke looked incredulous and I knew she was about to lose her on-edge-temper, "What kind of dumbass question was that. The guy had a knife and was psycho, if she could have escaped and tried it, he would have probably killed her."

My eyebrows raised involuntarily. It was good to have Brooke on my side and in my life again, even if it had to happen this way. "I did have opportunity but he was quicker than me. It wouldn't have worked and I would have been worse off for trying."

The woman smiled at me, she had kind eyes, "Good thinking. I know it was traumatic in every way, but you might have prevented deadly injury."

The man continued the questioning, "So he got you back on the bed. Then what happened?"

I was trying hard not to stumble over my words, "I tried to think of anything but him. I tried to shut him out."

"But?" The man's eyes were making me uncomfortable.

I answered him, "But it didn't work."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_"look at me Peyton. Now." _**

_**He held Peyton's face tightly in his hand. She could feel her jaw aching. **_

**_"Peyton, I want you to see me when I do this. I want you to look at me. Look into my eyes."_**

_**She was elsewhere. She was on a boat with Brooke laughing and joking about guys and school. She was at a party having fun. She was holding hands with Lucas. She was making fun of Nathan and taking Haley's side for once. She was anywhere and everywhere but with him in that room. **_

_**"Look at me Peyton."**_

**_He said it one last time before he forced himself into her, leaving her soul marred and her safe world wrecked. She screamed out in pain and agony. She screamed for help. She screamed for peace. She screamed for it all to stop. _**

_**"Please, stop. Please."**_

_**He couldn't hear her over his own desperate sounds. She would never be the same again. She dared to open her eyes and saw him over her, desire and satisfaction forming an evil smile on his twisted face. He wasn't stopping and she prayed for it to soon be over. Her eyes fell on a picture in a frame on a shelf in her room. One she had not put away. It was Peyton and Brooke happy and smiling. Peyton prayed that salvation would come. She didn't know that it would come in the form of Brooke Davis.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What happened when it was over?" The male cop was grating on Brooke's nerves. She knew it had more to do with how insensitive he was than the fact that she was angry at men and their ability to hurt a girl so badly.

"He left me on the bed. I couldn't…I couldn't move. I was afraid. I was…I was bleeding."

Peyton was crying again, and it broke Brooke's heart for the millionth time that night.

"He put the pictures in the box, and he yelled at me for not enjoying it, and he left."

"And that's when I saw him," Brooke spoke up.

She explained to the detectives exactly what had happened after that. They continued writing in their notebooks and then asked one final question.

"Ms. Sawyer," the woman cop said, "What did he cut into your leg? What did it say?"

Brooke paled. She knew Peyton had no idea what it said, but Brooke did. Peyton shook her head, "I don't know."

She looked to Brooke. Brooke looked to the ground, "It says 'mine'."

"Mine?" The male repeated as though not believing her.

Brooke looked up at him, furious with his attitude, "Yeah, that's right. Some psycho-rapist carved the word 'mine' into my best friends skin. It never would have happened if you fat ass pigs at the station would have caught him in the first place. You said he was in custody and it looks like you got it all wrong."

The woman detective grabbed her partners arm and half-dragged him from the room. As they were leaving she said, "Thank you for your statements. We'll get this guy Peyton. Don't you worry. My partner and I will make damn sure we get him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mine?" I asked Brooke as she gathered our things to leave.

She stopped and looked at me. She nodded, "Yeah. I could see it when you were getting dressed, after you showered."

It sank in finally, "I really am his, now."

My own voice of defeat made me afraid of myself. Brooke shook her head no and reached for my hand. I let her hold it, again.

"No, P. Sawyer. You aren't his. You'll never be his. You're mine and Lucas' and Nathan and Haley's and Karen's and your dad's. You're ours, and we love you and we'll make sure that son of a bitch never touches you again. I'll die before he does."

That thought scared me more than anything had so far. Brooke dying. Brooke being hurt by Derek. It was thought that had plagued me from the beginning. I had talked to Derek about a lot of things. He knew how important Brooke was to me. Brooke and Lucas.

I allowed my mind to wander to thoughts of Lucas. How would I ever be able to be around him now?

"Come on, Peyton Elizabeth, let's go."

She led me to the waiting room and then she, Karen and I walked out into the cold night air. Karen hugged me, the way only a mother can hug a child. It felt good and comforting, if not awkward. I loved Karen, but I knew it was Brooke, and not her that I would need the most. I just wondered if it was right to put my burdens on Brooke's back. We were friends again, but was it because she really cared about me, and me about her, or did she just feel guilty about what had happened?

Time would tell.


	4. Answer

-1Chapter 4

The ride had been quiet and Karen had dropped them off with only a few tight hugs and the reassurance that she would be there if either of them needed her. Brooke and Peyton now stood hand-in-hand in front of Rachel Gatina's house. Brooke could see lights being turned on upstairs. She knew Rachel was a light sleeper and would soon be downstairs meeting them at the door.

She looked at her watch and saw that it was 2am. Brooke felt old and tired. Too old and tired for her eighteen years. Peyton looked tired and yet looked as though she was never going to sleep again. Brooke led the way to Rachel's front door. Before she could take out her key, the auburn haired girl was jerking the door open.

"So how was your," Rachel's gleeful tone changed into confusion as she noticed Peyton standing behind Brooke, "date?"

Brooke held Peyton's hand tighter as Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was her signature inquisition stance. She looked at Rachel imploringly.

"I thought we hated her?" Rachel raised an eyebrow to Brooke, while ignoring Peyton. Rachel was not completely unaware of the embarrassment on Peyton's face.

Brooke shook her head and in a low, definitive tone, glared at Rachel, "Not now, Rachel. Not now."

Brooke ushered Peyton in past Rachel. It was then that Rachel finally took in the cuts on Peyton's face and the way Peyton held herself so carefully. Rachel's brow dropped into a suspicious scowl. She wanted to grill the two girls but something stopped her. She could tell by the way that Brooke refused to let go of Peyton's hand that something was very wrong.

"Can I ask?" Rachel looked at Peyton and then Brooke. Her face held no malice.

Brooke sighed, "Later. Right now Peyton needs to lie down and get some sleep."

Rachel nodded, "You guys can have my room. I'll sleep in my parents' room. They never use it."

Brooke mouthed "thank you" to Rachel before guiding Peyton up the stairs. Rachel watched them move. Peyton was slow and deliberate as though every step was painful. She had never seen Brooke so giving and careful with someone. She watched as they disappeared upstairs. It registered in Rachel's mind that Peyton had been wearing hospital sweats. She had seen them on someone before.

"No," Rachel whispered to herself, "not Peyton."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The stairs were probably the hardest motion I made. Each step up pounded through my body leaving me wanting to cry. But I was too tired to cry. I let Brooke guide me into Rachel's room. Two twin beds . Weird.

I laid down on the one Brooke had been using. Looking at the nightstand I was surprised to see one of my drawings there. She crawled in the bed with me and wrapped her arms around me. It didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. It felt safe. So very safe.

Derek's face had disappeared from my thoughts as I finally drifted to sleep, protected by my best friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke heard the steady sound of Peyton's breathing. She waited a few minutes and knew that Peyton was deep asleep. She could hear Rachel pacing in the hallway outside the room. She knew she would have to deal with her before there would be any true rest.

She slid out of the bed and after making sure that Peyton was out cold, she crept quietly out of the room. Rachel was waiting for her with her arms still crossed. Instead of the usual annoyance that was plastered on Rachel's face, Brooke was very surprised to see worry.

"Brooke?" Rachel spoke in a normal voice.

Brooke shushed her and then grabbed her by the arm. She led her down the stairs and into the living room. Once they were seated, Rachel looked impatiently at Brooke.

"Brooke? What happened tonight? I saw the cuts on her face and the hospital sweats. Please tell me it was just a car accident."

Brooke managed to hold her tears back for a few seconds before the overwhelmed her and spilled over onto her pale cheeks, "I wish I could tell you that."

She continued as Rachel's frown deepened, "You know how we had heard at school that Peyton's brother was really Peyton's stalker."

Rachel nodded, "Yeah, Derek, right?"

Brooke sighed, "Yeah, well, tonight he was waiting for Peyton in her bedroom closet when she got home from Nathan's press conference."

"Brooke…" Rachel knew what was coming next. She didn't want to hear the words. She wasn't best friends with Peyton, she wasn't even good friends with her, but she had spoken to her in depth and she knew Peyton was an amazing soul who didn't deserve the bad things that kept happening to her.

"He raped her, Rachel." Brooke's voice broke as she laid her head in her own hands and continued to cry.

Rachel had never seen Brooke so broken. But she knew how much Brooke loved Peyton. She was jealous of their friendship even when they had been fighting. They were sisters. Not by blood but by heart and soul. Rachel envied that.

"So you took her to the hospital?" Rachel asked.

Brooke nodded, "Yeah, the special victims unit came and took her statement. She had the rape kit done and the exam. They took pictures. Peyton freaked out on more than one occasion. Rachel when I found her it was awful. She was huddled in her room like an abused and abandoned kitten. She was so scared. I've never seen anyone so scared. I just hope I did the right things for her, you know. Said the right things. It's hard to tell when you're in the midst of it, and all these things are running through your mind like how I could have been a better friend, or how I should have been there. I should have stopped him. I could have…"

Rachel stopped Brooke's guilt-ridden babble by pulling her into a hug. Rachel knew where Brooke was emotionally and mentally. She had been there once before. Blaming herself for a friend's nightmare.

"Brooke," Rachel's voice was calm and soothing, "It's not your fault. It's his."

Brooke calmed slightly, enough to break Rachel's embrace and to sit up, "They don't know where he is yet."

Rachel looked at Brooke with reassuring eyes, "They'll find him Brooke. You've got to believe that."

"But Rachel, what if that bastard comes back for her? What if he kills her this time? I won't…no, I can't live without Peyton. Don't you know that?"

"Are you kidding? How could I not know that? Every miserable decision you've made lately is because you've been missing her. And as far as Derek being out there, we'll protect her. We'll be the ones to take care of her. You two are not alone in this. Okay?"

Brooke looked at Rachel and reached for her hand, "Thanks Rachel. She's going to need all the support she can get. We both will."

Rachel nodded and got up from the couch. She moved toward a closet in the hall and came back with a photo album. She opened the book and showed it to Brooke. Brooke took it with confusion but looked at the girl in the photos. She was in all of them. She stared at the face smiling back at her. Long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and dimples. The picture of all-American innocence.

"Who is this?" Brooke didn't understand.

Rachel's face softened completely, the hard edge that usually surfaced in her eyes faded, "That was my sister."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_The faces laughed at her, taunted her, haunted her. They came in and out of the black void she was staring into. The unknown future. A cold sweat chilled her to the bone and the melancholy melody of Alison Krauss' It Doesn't Matter filled her head. _**

_**The black void fell away and she was standing in a bright white light that quickly dimmed and became her bedroom. Ellie sat on the edge of bed, smiling.**_

_**"Ellie!" she sat on the bed next to her biological mother. "Where am I?"**_

_**"Hell I guess," Ellie shrugged, "Looks like you've been through the ringer kid."**_

_**Peyton frowned, "Yeah, I guess."**_

_**"He here you know," Ellie frowned.**_

_**Peyton looked around nervously, "Who?"**_

_**"We couldn't stop it from happening," Ellie stood and was suddenly at Peyton's bedroom door.**_

_**Peyton knew she was leaving, "Who? Who couldn't stop what?"**_

_**"We always leave, don't we Peyton? Everyone but Brooke…and Derek."**_

_**With that, Ellie disappeared and Derek was standing in the bedroom door. Peyton's heart stopped as she frantically searched for an escape. There was none. There were no windows, no doors, nothing but candles, a bed, and Derek.**_

_**"Hello Peyton," his gaze was steady, terrifyingly real.**_

_**She was back in that moment, a moment she would never forget, never forgive. She was in the depths of hell and she wasn't sure she would ever escape. She fought him, he fought harder and as he was hurting her all over again she felt softer hands on her arms, a softer voice in her ear, calming and reassuring.**_

_"_Peyton…Peyton. Wake up sweetie, come on. You're having a nightmare. Peyton."

Brooke shook me until I was no longer in that black void. I was back in Rachel's room, sweating, scared and wanting to all go away. I sank deep into Brooke's arms. She was warm. I was cold. I realized Rachel was in the room. I looked up at her briefly and saw something in her eyes that threw me for a loop. She had empathy. Not just sympathy, empathy. It was like she had been there, or known someone who had.

"Can I get you two anything?" Rachel asked us.

Brooke shook her head, "No but thank you for everything Rachel."

"No problem," she started to shut the door.

I didn't know why, but I wanted her to stay, "Rachel, wait. Don't go yet."

She looked surprised. She hesitated at the door and even looked to Brooke for approval before she returned to the other twin bed. Brooke had let go of me and was sitting on the edge of the twin bed, her back turned to me. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell by the sagging of her shoulders that she was exhausted. She had taken on my burdens without protest, without hesitation. She shouldn't have been dealing with my problem. But she was, and I wasn't going to make her stop.

I was drawn to reach for her hand again. It had been keeping me in the present hours. As I glanced at the clock on the nightstand I saw that the sun would soon be rising. I had been out for several hours. It was then that it dawned on me, Brooke and Rachel hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Peyton?" Brooke was looking at me now, worry etched across her countenance.

I tried my best to smile at her, but I wasn't nearly ready for that. It must have been a pretty odd looking attempt at a smile, because Brooke looked at me as though I was about to break. I wasn't so sure I wouldn't. I didn't want to sleep, bu I knew that if I didn't, Brooke wouldn't either. We were in this together.

"I'm okay," I lied.

Rachel inhaled slowly and deeply and then spoke directly to me, "How are you really doing Peyton?"

I didn't have a real answer for that question, "How am I supposed to be doing?"

I gave her a look that she must have recognized because the thoughtful face she gave me was almost an answer in itself.

"Peyton, I was telling Brooke that I had a friend…"

Brooke stopped Rachel, "Not tonight, Rachel. She doesn't need advice, or stories, or the pep talk speech."

I appreciated Brooke's protection but at the same time it annoyed me. I knew it was an anger process with everything that had happened between us, but somewhere inside a very small part of me blamed her. She should have protected me long ago. Or she at least should have been there.

Her hand grabbed mine again and held it gently. I couldn't place blame on Brooke. I loved her too much. I was too relieved that she was with me in this. My heart was too complete with her than it was without her. I couldn't push her away now.

"Maybe tomorrow, we can talk about your friend?" I asked Rachel. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her efforts and I was intrigued. I wanted to know someone who had gone through this and made it out alive, because at the moment….I was not alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke stifled a yawn. She ran a shaky hand through her uncombed hair. The three of them had been sitting in Rachel's room watching old Roseanne re-runs on Nick-at-Nite. Rachel was out cold, and Peyton's eyes were finally beginning to get heavy. Brooke felt the weight of her best friend's head against her shoulder. They had sat silently with the lights on and the television turned up. Words weren't needed.

Brooke allowed herself to at least close her eyes as the sun came up. Her thoughts were fully focused on Peyton. She wondered what tomorrow would bring. She wondered if Derek would try to hurt her again. She thought about the word "mine" cut into Peyton's pale skin. She thought about Lucas and how he would take the news. The thought of Lucas bothered her more than anything.

She thought about the reason she and Peyton had been in a fight. She thought back to the day of Haley and Nathan's wedding. She had called Peyton horrible names. She had even slapped her, hard. She had been evil to Peyton, she had crushed her, she had said things to her that she wouldn't say to her worst enemy. The thoughts brought the guilt that was pulsing through Brooke's veins to new heights.

Why had she been so angry with Peyton? Brooke knew she didn't love Lucas. She knew that Peyton was the only one that could love Lucas the way he should be loved. She knew that Lucas was the only boy that would never hurt Peyton. She had been hurt and angry by Peyton's truthfulness. She had been mostly enraged by the thought of being left behind. She realized as she laid in the bed keeping Peyton safe that she had left Peyton behind many times.

Peyton had tried cocaine because she had been so lonely. Brooke hadn't even noticed her friend slipping away then, because she was too tied up in Felix. She had thought only of herself and Lucas when Peyton had been shot. She had been worried that Lucas wanted to choose Peyton after that even though he had protested. They were just friends.

Brooke hadn't only thought of herself during the school shooting. She had screamed inside her mind for days afterwards because she had left Peyton behind. She had always left Peyton behind.

Brooke opened her eyes and looked at Peyton who was sleeping soundly against her. She kissed Peyton's head and rested her chin there.

She whispered so she wouldn't wake the blonde, "I'm going to be there Peyton. I'm never going to leave you behind again. I'm sorry that I let this happen. I'm going to be your answer Peyton. When you ask if you'll ever make it through…I'll be your answer."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_You'll never know the way your words have haunted me_

_I can't believe you'd ask these things of me_

_You don't know me_

My dreams were twisting once again. Evanescence screamed Snow White Queen in my skull leaving my head pounding. He was there, hitting, biting forcing. I wanted to wake up but I think he had control of that part of me as well. Derek wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX _

He clutched the picture tightly to his chest as he laid shirtless in his bed. His fingers lingered on each scratch mark as though they were souvenirs of a romantic trip. He remembered the night fondly, warping each detail into a sweet action of love. Each no, and stop failed to register in his mind.

_You belong to me_

_My snow white queen_

_There's no where to run_

_So let's just get it over_

_Soon I know you'll see_

_You're just like me_

_don't scream anymore my love_

_Cause all I want is you_

"I'll see you soon Peyton. Goodnight." With that he turned off the light and slipped into sweet twisted dreams of violence and the beautiful petrified face of his victim.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Wake up in a dream_

_Frozen fear_

_Your hands on me_

_I can't scream_

I couldn't wake up. I wanted to. I was screaming. I was screaming so loudly that my throat was beginning to burn. I sat up in the bed. My burning scream caught in my throat. I looked around the room, panicked, waiting for him to step out of the open closet.

I quickly realized that the room was empty with the exception of me. Brooke? Where was Brooke? Why was I alone again?

_I can't escape the twisted way you think of me_

_I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep_


	5. I Shall Believe

-1Chapter 5

I sat still long enough to listen to the silence in the house. It was oddly, eerily quiet. As though there were someone in Rachel's house trying not to make noise. My heart began to pound at the thought. The nightmares that I had fought the entire night and the previous night itself made the bile rise in the back of my throat. I knew then I was going to be sick.

The bathroom was a blur as I almost slid to the toilet. I closed my eyes and heaved. The poisonous thoughts that were controlling my mind darkened and then purged themselves along with the nothingness of the contents of my stomach. I washed my face and rinsed my mouth out with some of Brooke's mouthwash. I knew it was hers. She wouldn't use any other kind.

There was finally a noise coming from the first floor of the house. I listened carefully again, scared but determined not to jump to a panicked conclusion. It was probably just Brooke. After listening for a few minutes more, I heard it again. It was the familiar sounds of pots and pans clanging against one another. Someone was in the kitchen and it wasn't the domestically-challenged Brooke Davis.

My heart sank at the thought of Brooke not being there. Why wasn't she? She had promised.

The smell of bacon invaded my olfactory senses. God, I was hungry. I was surprised by the fact that my stomach was churning for food. I decided to drag myself down to see what was being made. I looked into the bathroom. The shower was screaming for me. I decided I couldn't be clean enough so I undressed and hopped in. I knew I could wear some of Brooke's clothes, or Rachel's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel tossed the eggs into the skillet sunny side up. She moved around the kitchen as though she was in a choreographed dance. She thought of the skinny girl upstairs and felt herself saddened by the life that was now in disarray. She had promised Brooke she would keep an eye on Peyton for the morning. Rachel had not been sure that she would be able to talk to Peyton without projecting her own issues onto her. But she remembered Rebecca and she remembered that she owed it to herself and to Peyton to try her best to help in whatever way she could.

She heard the shower turn off upstairs. She knew Peyton would come down soon. No one could resist the smell of bacon. Rachel went about her kitchen patrol and had two plates of hot food on the table when Peyton finally appeared around the corner.

Rachel studied her quickly, taking in as much of Peyton's appearance as she could without being obvious about it. Her blonde curls were damp and hanging loosely at her shoulders. Her face was pale and makeup free. Rachel could see the cuts on Peyton's face very clearly and each of the three cuts was forming a bruise around it.

She wore jeans that fit her in length but were a size too big in the waist. And Rachel recognized Brooke's black hoodie sweatshirt. Peyton wore no shoes. She was standing at the doorway to the kitchen as though begging to be invited in. Her arms were crossed low at her waist, not defensively, but reserved and cautiously.

Rachel smiled carefully, "Hi. I made us breakfast."

She was offended when Peyton's first words to her were, "Where's Brooke?"

"She went to school to get your homework for the next week." Rachel waved her hand to the chair across from her, "Come on. It's good, I promise."

Peyton moved across the room without hesitation and picked up her fork. She dove into the eggs first. They were runny. Rachel could see Peyton loved them that way.

"Brooke told me that was your favorite way for them to be cooked."

Peyton nodded, her voice was reserved and hoarse, "My mom used to make them that way. My first mom."

Rachel smiled at Peyton's shrug. She always had to explain the mom situation, even to those she knew well. Rachel picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite, crunching quietly. Peyton followed suit. Rachel was glad to see she had an appetite. Peyton looked at Rachel and stopped chewing. She blushed and put her hand over her full mouth.

She spoke through her bite of bacon, "I'm sorry. I must look like a total pig."

"When do you care what I think?" Rachel winked at her.

Peyton raised her eyebrows and continued chewing, "Good point."

They made small talk during the rest of breakfast, steering away from any subject that might bring conversation about the night before. When they were both full, Rachel cleared the table while Peyton stared into a cup of coffee. She found she liked it black. She had fought tit for years, but she wasn't a mocha latte kind of girl, she was bitter and dark. Especially now.

"Hey Rachel," Rachel turned to find Peyton looking at her curiously.

"Yeah?"

Peyton looked back into her cup, "Tell me about your friend. The one you were going to tell me about last night."

Rachel put the plate she was holding into the dishwasher and nodded her head. She inhaled deeply and took a seat next to Peyton. She had told Brooke the story the night before, but it was Peyton who really needed to hear it.

"It's not about a friend actually. It was about me, and my sister.."

"You have a sister?" Peyton's eyes searched Rachel's for information. Rachel showed nothing.

Rachel shook her head, "I had a sister."

Peyton frowned, "Is she…is she dead?"

Rachel nodded, "Yeah. She died about a year before I moved here."

"What happened?" Peyton's voice was filled with caution.

"She was older than me. By two years. She was eighteen and she was attacked by a stranger after a football game. She was a cheerleader."

Peyton paled at the subject of the tale, but she continued to listen without flinching.

"She wasn't murdered. But she was raped. I was supposed to meet her after the game to ride home with her. She was my best friend. But that night, we had had a fight. I decided to bail on her and leave with some friends. I didn't tell her. I was off partying with friends while my sister was dragged under the bleachers and brutally assaulted."

Rachel could see how those words made Peyton tremble. She didn't want to make Peyton remember, she didn't even want to remember herself, but it could help the blonde, and that's all Rachel wanted.

"She tried to recover. She was popular and beautiful and she couldn't make it through it," Rachel watched Peyton vigilantly making sure Peyton stayed with the story and not the ideas it could give.

"What happened," Peyton asked, hoping for a happy ending.

Rachel's eyes darkened, "She killed herself."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was stunned. It wasn't what I wanted to hear. It wasn't what I needed to hear. And yet, seeing Rachel tell it, gave me the notion that there was a point to the story….a helpful one.

"So you blame yourself?" I asked timidly, unsure if my voice still functioned.

"I used to," Rachel bit her bottom lip, "But not any more."

I couldn't fathom how Rachel and her sister had gotten to that point, but I desperately needed to know. I was afraid to ask her anything else. She looked so sad. She looked so lost. She looked the same way I had when I had looked in the mirror earlier.

"How did it get to that point?" I finally asked her after taking a drink of my cooling coffee.

She lingered a moment over her own cup and finally looked straight at me. Her gaze was fierce and it discomfited me, but I held her stare. She could read me. It wasn't the way Brooke could read me, no one could read me like that, but Rachel could read this new part of me. The part I wish didn't exist. The new scary, been-through-hell an feeling alone part of me.

"She wouldn't talk about it."

It was her simple answer to my complicated question. Her sister had killed herself because she wouldn't talk about what happened to her. I knew the lesson to the story. I saw it in Rachel's eyes, in her stare. She wanted me to talk about it. Not to her necessarily, but to talk about it with whoever I needed to tell. She wanted me to confide in Brooke. She wanted me to simply talk when I needed to. To cry, to fight, to scream. She wanted me to just deal with it.

I wondered if I could. The idea of talking about what Derek did, it scared the hell out of me. It made me want to throw up. The idea of showing any more emotions after having them stripped away from me made me want to curl up and hide away forever. But then I thought of Brooke. She wasn't even my friend yesterday morning and she was now at school getting my homework for me and telling fibs when she had to to hide from our friends what had happened.

"Thank you for sharing with me Rachel," I finally said to her. "I don't want to die."

"That's good, Peyton," Rachel smirked, "Because Brooke is a good friend to me now and if she ever lost you, she would never make it."

It was then that I wondered how much about me and Brooke Rachel understood. By the smile on her face, I'd say she completely understood the nature of us.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke looked both ways down the hallway before going to Peyton's final class to get her her homework. She had managed to avoid running into Haley, Nathan, and Lucas. Therefore she hadn't had to lie to any of them. She wasn't sure she could. She turned the corner almost home free when she ran into all three of them. Literally.

She helped Haley pick up her books and glanced nervously at Nathan and Lucas. Lucas looked on edge.

"Brooke, I know this is a stupid question seeing as how you and Peyton aren't friends any more, but have you talked to her today?"

Brooke swallowed hard. Her hesitation gave Lucas more room to speak.

Lucas looked panicked, "Seriously Brooke, the police were supposed to have her stalker in jail last night but when I got there it wasn't him. It wasn't the guy she knows as Derek. So if you know where she is, if you've seen her, she could be in serious trouble."

"You have no idea," Brooke's thoughts were said aloud as she looked quickly from Lucas to Nathan and then to Haley.

Haley saw the fear in Brooke's eyes, "Brooke? What's going on?"

Brooke handed the last book back to Haley, "You guys, I can't say anything. It's not my place.?"

"Did something happen to Peyton?" Nathan asked.

"Please don't make me tell you. Peyton might not want me to say anything." Brooke was beginning to sweat.

Lucas touched Brooke gently on the arm. She knew she wasn't in love with him any more. There was nothing there but friendship. She wished Peyton hadn't gone through what she had, because it was time for her and Lucas to finally get it right.

"Okay. Okay." Brooke sighed, "But not here. Let's go outside. I don't want the whole school knowing."

Once they were outside the four of them sat at a table on the quad. Haley, Nathan and Lucas waited with impatient stares. Brooke tried to figure out the best way to explain without giving details. She simply told them what had happened. She listened as one by one they gasped, then clenched their teeth together. She watched as Lucas ran his hand through his hair and formed fists with his hands. Haley cried silent tears, and Nathan held onto Haley. They all ached for Peyton. They all loved her.

"I need to get back to her." Brooke said standing.

"Brooke. I'm so glad she has you," Lucas said. "Please tell her we love her. I love her. Tell her that he can't change who she is."

"God, I hope you're right Lucas. I really hope you're right."

Brooke hugged Haley and smiled at Nathan. She gave Lucas' hand a squeeze, "I'll take care of her, Luke. I promise I will."

"No one can take care of Peyton the way you can Brooke. You've always been the one who could take care of her best." Lucas frowned though trying to smile.

Brooke took his words to heart. She knew she had stunned them, shocked them. She didn't want to. She wanted to keep it from them. She wanted to not hurt them. She wanted to help Peyton heal without the whole world knocking on the door to ask if she was okay.


	6. Unbroken

-1**Author's Note: **The song Haley sings and writes in this chapter is actually written by me. It's something I've been working on in my spare time.

Chapter 6

Brooke stepped through the yellow tape into Peyton's house. She didn't want to be there. She wanted to be back at Rachel's house taking care of Peyton. Peyton's house, once a place of mostly happy memories, was now filled with the echoing ghosts of the recent past. She remembered slapping Peyton so hard that her own hand had stung.

She remembered the sounds of Peyton's whimpers coming from her room just twelve hours earlier. Brooke exhaled loudly, half sigh, half groan. She didn't want to be there. But Peyton needed some of her things. Brooke ascended the stairs slowly, her feet unwilling to cooperate.

She truly believed that events left their energy on places, so they could be felt by those who cam later. The energy as she neared Peyton's room stole the breath from her. She placed a hand on the door frame entering the room and looked around. It seemed like it was just a room, not a place where Derek had forced Peyton down.

Brooke went into the closet to get Peyton's duffel bag. She turned on the light and was shocked to see a picture hanging on the wall. It was of Peyton the night before. Derek had taken a picture of Peyton as she screamed for help. The picture made Brooke sick. She realized that if the picture had been taken the previous night it would have been printed somewhere and brought back. Derek had been back already. Searching for Peyton.

Chills covered Brooke's spine as she wondered if Derek could still be lingering. She hurriedly grabbed Peyton's favorite jeans, a few more pairs, several of Peyton's concert t-shirts, the leather jacket Ellie had given her and then exited the closet. She quickly rifled through Peyton's dresser and grabbed some undergarments and socks.

She then went to the bathroom. As she looked through the drawers there she tried not to pay attention to the closed shower curtain. Her heart was pounding with the what-ifs. She listened hard for a minute straining to hear if there was breathing coming from within the shower.

She shook off the thought and quickly stuffed Peyton's duffel bag with a toothbrush, styling products, makeup. She thought about the last two items. Things that girls used to look prettier, sexier. Brooke wondered if Peyton would want to feel that way again, ever. She refused to think about it. She glanced at the shower. She wanted to get Peyton's favorite shampoo, but knew that would mean opening the curtain. Everything in Brooke's being told her to get out of the house.

She exited the bathroom and stopped only long enough to jerk the picture off the wall in the closet. She folded it and stuffed it in her back pocket. She would take it to the SVU later. But for now, she needed to get back to Peyton.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He heard Brooke's footsteps on the stairs and then the front door close. He stepped out of the shower, a scowl on his face. He hated Brooke Davis. He could have killed her, but if Brooke was dead then he would have no leverage to make Peyton leave town with him. It was his ultimate plan. He was untouchable, even invincible. Peyton would willingly go with him forever.

He looked at himself in the mirror. His white tank top was dingy with sweat. His eyes were fiery with want. He wanted Peyton and she would be his.

He slid his knife back into his pocket and left the room. He would follow Brooke Davis and see where Peyton was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas, Haley, and Nathan entered the café. Karen stopped vigorously scrubbing the counter and looked up, half surprised, but mostly she stared at them with dread. She knew that they knew. She saw the sadness in each of their eyes. She hugged her own son tightly and then stepped back from her. She ignored the flutters in her abdomen as her growing baby moved.

"Lucas?" Karen frowned.

Lucas read her face immediately, "Are we the last ones to know?"

Karen shook her head, "Luke. Brooke called me last night. She and Peyton needed a guardian type to help fill out paperwork. You know? They don't have parents that are accessible, so Brooke thought it would be a good idea for me to know."

Haley interceded before Lucas could be upset, "Did you see Peyton? How was she? Was she badly injured?"

Haley felt stupid for her question. She knew how badly injured Peyton was, even if there were no physical wounds. She felt Nathan's hand on the small of her back and soaked in the support. She waited for Karen to say anything. Instead Karen gestured to one of the smaller tables in the empty café. She put up the "closed" sign.

Peyton's friends sat at the table and stared at Karen who poured them all coffee, black. Two decafs for the pregnant women. She sat down with them. They all stared at their coffee. Nathan fidgeted, Lucas brooded and Haley worried. They were a sad trio. But Karen knew the saddest of them all today was Peyton Sawyer.

"She had a badly sprained wrist. She had several cuts on her face, from being hit. And he apparently cut her with a knife."

"Oh god," Haley whispered.

Lucas and Nathan simply shook their heads in anger. They were good men with no concept of how someone could hurt a girl in that way. They waited for Karen to continue.

Through teary eyes she said, "I'm sure Brooke told you that she was raped. As if that wasn't sick enough, he carved the word, 'mine' into her skin." She tried to ignore their horror-stricken faces. "Peyton was understandably out of it last night. Brooke was an absolute rock. She's the best thing for Peyton right now."

Karen look pointedly at Lucas, "She doesn't need to be pressured to talk about it, or to be physical with anyone."

Lucas stood up and pushed his chair away angrily, "God mom! I know that. I love her mom. I'd wait forever for Peyton. I already have. What's a few more months, or even a year?"

Nathan stood up and put a strong but gentle hand on Lucas' shoulder, "We know how you feel about her, man. You're mom was just saying that Peyton would need space right now. That's all."

Lucas wrapped his arms around his mom as she stood up. He didn't mean to snap at her. He was appalled at what had happened to Peyton. He couldn't begin to imagine how Peyton would make it through whole, and as Peyton.

"Don't underestimate her Luke," Karen was reading Lucas' mind. "Peyton is stronger than the four of us put together, and with Brooke…she'll make it through this stronger than ever. You'll see."

"I wish there was something I could do," Haley said.

Karen smiled gently at the innocent face, "I think there is, Haley. I think there are things you can all do. Haley, you're a musician. Write for her. Give her an anthem of sorts. Brooke said that Peyton and this sick Derek person listened to her favorite music together. She'll probably hate all of the things she once loved because of him. You can give her something new to love. Lucas, you know music. You can help Peyton fall in love with all those old songs again, or even better, you can give her the gift of literature. Help her find healing in a novel. And Nathan, you're the athletic one."

"Hey," Lucas said jokingly admonishing his mother, "am I chopped liver?"

"Simmer down," Karen smirked, "Nathan, you can teach Peyton how to be strong physically. She knows you well. She can be around you and be vulnerable, because she trusts you and knows you want nothing from her but her friendship. Teach her how to play basketball. Help her learn to fight with her fists."

"Hey, Karen," Haley smiled, "Has anyone told you that you're like the Yoda of Tree Hill?"

Karen playfully smacked Haley on the arm, "Actually Whitey holds that title."

Lucas became serious again, "Should we tell Whitey? He and Peyton, they talk sometimes about losing people, and being alone. I think he should hear it from us before the whole school knows."

"If I know Whitey," Karen smiled inwardly, "He probably heard about it from a whisper in the wind."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whitey knocked softly on Rachel Gatina's front door. He had been only partly surprised when Peyton had called. More than surprised he was worried when he had heard the tone of her voice. He knew that something was desperately wrong with the broody blonde.

Rachel opened the door, "I swear Coach. I have a really good, non-selfish reason for skipping school today."

Whitey flashed her his famous grin, "I'm not here to keep account of your truancy Ms. Gatina. I believe a skinny blonde called me here."

Peyton appeared behind Rachel, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Whitey had never seen her so defeated, so small. He stepped in as Rachel opened the door wider.

"Peyton?" Whitey laid a gentle hand on her bruised arm, "What's going on kiddo?"

Peyton glanced at Rachel giving her the silent okay to leave the room. Peyton tried to smile at the coach but instead focused on fighting the tears that were forming. She motioned for him to sit down in the living room.

Once they were seated, Whitey examined Peyton's face carefully. "Who in hell laid a hand on that pretty face? It wasn't one of my players was it?"

Peyton's voice betrayed her and cracked with the sadness, "No. I just needed you to know. Because you're…you're like my surrogate dad when my dad is too far away to be told anything."

"Sounds serious little lady," Whitey moved from the chair he was in to the coffee table. He sat in front of Peyton.

"It is," Peyton grimaced. "Last night, I was…"

She struggled for the strength to just say it. But the words were mingled with images. She had wanted Whitey to know. She had wanted him to be one of her protectors. Whitey was one of her adult guardians. One of only two. He and Karen were the only safe adults she knew.

"Last night I was attacked in my house by someone who had been stalking me for awhile."

Whitey's own eyes clouded with unshed tears. He was silent as he took Peyton's hands in his own. He didn't notice her wince as her wrist twisted slightly making her remember how sore she still was.

Finally his words came, "Peyton. I wish I had words to make you feel safe. I wish I had magic to eliminate that son of a bitch from existence. But I don't. I can offer you my shoulder. My office as refuge during school. My heart as someone who always wanted a daughter like you. Or even a granddaughter as the case may be. This should never have happened to you."

"Thank you, Whitey," Peyton allowed herself to be hugged by him. He was safe and familiar and family. "I just needed you to know. I didn't want you to hear it anywhere else."

"Thank you for that kiddo. Your secret is safe with me. Just don't you ever hesitate to call me when you need anything, do you understand?"

"Yeah. Yes sir." Peyton swiped at a tear.

"Is there anything?" Whitey asked.

"I think Brooke's taking care of everything right now. But if you see someone around school that looks like this," Peyton pulled her cell phone open and showed a picture of herself and Derek to Whitey, "then call the police."

"Can do," Whitey was serious and stern. He gave Peyton another hug. One she accepted wholeheartedly.

Before he left, Whitey turned to Peyton and pulled a silver chain from his pocket. He dangled it in the air. A beautiful, simple silver cross hung at the end of it. He handed it to Peyton who took it graciously. She had some faith in her heart. And she knew where it must have come from.

"That was my wife's. She told me o pass it on to someone who needed it one day. I never knew anyone who deserved it until I met you. My Camilla would have loved you. I know she would want you to have this."

Peyton clutched it tightly in her shaking hand. She thanked Whitey again and he left the house. Once outside Whitey sighed loudly. He never knew how the world could be so cruel to one sweet child. He looked to the heavens wondering if Annie Sawyer or his own deceased wife could see them. He spoke a silent prayer and moved toward his car. He prayed to heaven that he never ran into this Derek boy. He'd hate to have to kill someone, but for Peyton, he would.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel had heard the entire conversation and she was proud of Peyton for calling the coach. She couldn't possibly understand their bond, but she was proud nonetheless. She came back into the living room to see Peyton putting on the cross, tears falling down her cheek.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked gently.

Peyton simply nodded. Rachel flashed her a smile, "I'm going to get a shower, unless you want me to stay?"

"No, that's okay. I'll lock all the doors. Brooke should be back soon, right?"

"Yeah," Rachel wasn't really sure where Brooke was any more, "She should be back any minute now."

Rachel made sure Peyton was going to be fine alone for a few minutes and then trudged up the stairs. Exhaustion was finally getting to all of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I loved Whitey Durham. He was a man's man, and the most gentle creature to ever walk the earth. Nothing about him made me scared or jittery. When he left I felt a little better. I had told someone. I had talked about it, even though briefly. Rachel's sister was my new anti-role model. I wouldn't end up like her. I would fight, somehow, I would find the strength.

I waited until Rachel was up the stairs before I opened my cell phone and dialed Brooke's number. I got nervous when it rang three times and there was no answer. Finally halfway through the fourth ring, Brooke picked up.

"Hey Peyton, are you okay?"

I sank onto the couch. I was more worried about Brooke being out there alone than I was for my own safety.

"Peyton?" Brooke sounded panicked.

I laid my head on a pillow, taking comfort in the sound of Brooke's voice, "Yeah. I'm…yeah. I was just wondering if you were coming back."

"Of course I am. I went by the school first thing this morning, I couldn't sleep. I got your homework. Then I went to your house."

I sat up with those words. I couldn't believe that Brooke was brave enough to go back there. "Brooke."

"Peyton, it's okay. I just got you some clothes and some things you needed," Brooke's voice calmed me.

"Then I went to the grocery store and bought your favorite meal and now I'm at the video store. I'm getting us some good things to watch."

I couldn't believe Brooke was this strong, this amazing. And yet I never doubted she could be. She constantly proved me right. Brooke was my miracle. She promised she'd be home in ten minutes and then we hung up the phone. Rachel still hadn't turned on the shower. There was no telling what pre-bath rituals the girl had.

I closed my eyes for a moment as I reclined on the couch. I was too afraid of the images that would come when I slept, so I turned on the big screen television and watched the news. Suddenly the whole world seemed to be on fire with violence and war. Corruption and bad guys getting away with everything. It depressed me.

I felt the cross touching the skin at my collar bone. I placed my hand over it and found myself actually saying a prayer. I wasn't religious, not really. I used to go to church with my mom. I had said confession on dare night. But other than that I never thought about there being a God. I never thought about Jesus or any of those things. But my mind wandered there now, beckoning me to ask questions. To challenge the ideology.

How could a God that's supposed to be good and kind and forgiving let something like rape happen? How could he let someone be in so much pain? How could he stand by and watch my life be ripped like that?

The how's continued until I was finally in darkness. Sleep had over come me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke finally reached Rachel's house. It had been only fifteen minutes since she had talked to Peyton. She unlocked the back door and struggled to get it open while balancing movies in one hand and groceries in the other. She finally freed her arms and began to look for Peyton. She heard the shower running upstairs and knew it was Rachel.

She stepped quietly into the living room. Peyton slept restlessly on the couch. Brooke watched her sleeping. Her best friend's brow was furrowed deeply, letting Brooke know that she was in the midst of a horrible dream. Brooke sat on the edge of the couch next to Peyton and rested her hand on Peyton's hip.

Peyton thrashed about in her sleep finally sitting upright awake and wide-eyed, a scream caught in her throat. Brooke was there for her. She wrapped her arms around her and rocked while holding her.

"You're here." Peyton stated.

Brooke smiled over Peyton's shoulder, "Of course. Did you not think I would come back?"

Peyton pulled away from Brooke, "I wasn't sure. After everything we've been through, Brooke…why would you?"

"Because I love you, Peyton. You're my soul sister."

"But all the stuff about Lucas, and…"

Brooke wondered if Peyton had been dreaming about Derek after all, "Peyton, please. Don't doubt why I'm here for you. I know last night brought us back together but that's not why I'm sticking by your side. It's not out of pity or anything like that. It's because I'm not about to lose you as a friend again. Got it?"

Peyton nodded and leaned against Brooke. Brooke accepted the weight, what little there was, gratefully, and gracefully, "Where'd you get the cross?"

Brooke noticed everything, especially shiny, pretties. Peyton shrugged, "Whitey gave it to me. He was here not too long ago."

"Peyton I didn't tell him, I swear," Brooke began to defend herself.

Peyton shook her head, "I know, silly. I called him. I needed to tell someone, to prove I could. So I called Whitey. He's like another dad to me. I had to tell him. I couldn't let him hear it from anyone else."

"Speaking of people hearing it from anyone else," Brooke grimaced and winced, "I had to tell Lucas, Nathan and Haley."

"Brooke!" Peyton's voice went up an octave, "Why? Not Luke and Nathan."

"Peyton they were in the hall at school and I was trying to be all Mission Impossible and sneak around, but the three of them were in the hall together and backed me into a corner. You know how bad of a liar I am. Especially when it comes to you. I had to tell them. I am so sorry."

"What did they say?" Peyton asked nervously.

Brooke frowned, "What could they say P. Sawyer. They were pissed off. They want him as dead as I do. Lucas wanted you to know he loves you, Peyton. And he doesn't want this to change who you are."

Peyton scoffed, "Right. Too late."

Brooke slipped her arm around Peyton again , "No. Peyton. You're still you. It happened to you, but whether you believe it or not he can't touch your soul. You're still in there. It's just going to take time."

"Brooke? Do you believe in God?" Peyton hadn't talked to Brooke about it ever. It was just one of those things teenagers didn't chat about in Tree Hill.

Brooke smiled one of her famous grins, "Yes I do."

"Really?" Peyton was interested in what Brooke knew. "It's been a long time since I've thought about Him. Or anything concerning the Bible. But since Whitey came to visit, I've been asking myself the same questions over and over. Why would God make this happen to me?"

Brooke shook her head and lightly held Peyton's hand, "You've got it all wrong, P. Sawyer. God didn't make this happen. He gives us a free will. He doesn't force us to believe in Him. But with free will comes temptation. And there are a lot of evil people in the world who take advantage of free will, just so they can hurt someone. Peyton, I know God didn't make this happen. And he didn't just let it happen. He won't stop free will, but he was there, and he brought me to you last night. He guided me down your street last night. I know it's no solace right now, but it happened for a reason. What reason I have no idea, but God cries when you cry. He hurts when you're hurting. He loves you, like I do."

Peyton was speechless. She had no idea that Brooke, friends-with-benefit Brooke, had any kind of relationship with God. Peyton mulled over what Brooke had said and found herself lingering on her cross once more. Brooke watched Peyton as she thought about it. Brooke was proud of the fact that she knew something about God. Very little, but she did know that if He didn't exist Peyton wouldn't be alive and in her arms at that moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haley strummed the guitar again, changing chords with gentle fluidity. Words flowed from her mouth as though it was magic. She listened to herself singing and knew Karen was right. They all had their own special way of helping Peyton. Her voice was that of angel as she sang…

_Broken's not a word for you_

_I've seen you standing still_

_And there's nothing that could break you_

_I've seen your iron will_

_You've taken all you can_

_You've been feeling unwell_

_But you still seem to smile_

_Despite going through hell_

_Crazy as the world is_

_As hurt as you could be_

_You stand up straight _

_And still tower over me_

_My friend, my friend_

_Do not cry anymore_

_It's been so long in agony_

_You forgot what to fight for_

_My friend, my friend_

_Do not scream in pain_

_It's been so long in a nightmare_

_The world has gone insane_

Haley scribbled in her notebook, making sure she wrote everything as it came out of her mouth. She knew the music was what Peyton would really enjoy, not really the lyrics, but Haley was proud of those too. She was going to help Peyton to heal. She knew she could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas meandered through the bookstore looking for the perfect novel to help Peyton. He knew which classic he could get her, but for some reason he had ended up in the Christian fiction section. He read over the novel blurbs on the backs of the books. They all sounded helpful. He wondered to himself why everyone turned to God when the question became, "Why?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nathan thanked the clerk at the sporting goods store an returned to his car. He took his purchase out of the bag and examined the items. He was pleased with himself. Boxing gloves and a basketball. He was going to teach Peyton how to fight. He also had a basketball goal being delivered to Rachel's house. He knew it was the best place to deliver it knowing that Peyton would be there for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek, aka Christopher Matthews, watched the big house from the hedges. Brooke had led him straight to Peyton. He could tell there was an extensive security system but he had ways around that. He watched as Brooke looked out a window. She was pretty but Peyton was his dream girl.

He had to bide his time. Time would guarantee him Peyton.


	7. Safe

-1Chapter 7

The day had passed uneventfully for Brooke and Peyton. Rachel had decided to go spend a few days with her parents in New York to give the born-again friends a chance to deal with everything. They had not mentioned Derek or the attack since their discussion when Brooke had gotten home. The afternoon was spent watching mind-numbing comedies and catching cat-naps.

Brooke had fielded several phone calls on her own cell phone from Lucas, Nathan, and Karen. They were all very concerned about Peyton and Brooke could tell they were all dying to help in some way. Brooke reassured them as she smiled at Peyton sitting next to her on the couch that in a few days they could come see Peyton. Peyton looked neither happy nor dismayed about the news. She was indifferent.

Brooke watched her friend as she watched another movie. Brooke took time to really examine Peyton's face and posture. She looked overwhelmed. Brooke could tell that although Peyton was very still her mind was running 90 miles a minute.

She studied Peyton's face a little longer, watching Peyton occasionally blink, or her brow crease in anxiety as though an unwelcome thought had threatened to surface. Brooke stole glances at Peyton's cuts on her face and the bruises peeking through her long sleeve shirt. Her bare feet were crossed over one another as she hugged her knees to her chest on the couch.

Brooke wondered if Peyton would sit that way for the rest of her life, guarded, and straining every muscle in her body to protect herself. She shook off the thought.

"Hey, Peyton," Brooke was surprised that Peyton actually turned toward her.

"Hmm?" Peyton acknowledged her friend.

Brooke smiled, happy to really see Peyton's eyes. They were the same green hazel they had been since Brooke had known her. The only difference was that now there was a lot of sadness and terror in them.

"Do you want some ice cream?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Definitely, my stomach growled out loud, "Yeah. Sounds good. But only if you have Dutch Chocolate."

Brooke faked an incredulous grin and it made life seem almost normal, "P. Sawyer. Do you doubt I would buy anything other than our favorite ice cream?"

I laughed. I actually laughed, caught off guard by the moment of complete non-seriousness, "No."

She left the room and I shook my head in humor. Brooke always made everything feel better. It had been almost twenty-four hours earlier that my life had been turned upside down and inside out. A monster still lurked out there somewhere, waiting for me, or some other unsuspecting girl. But still Iwas able to find a tiny piece of my smile because Brooke was with me.

I heard her cell phone ring in the kitchen and I wondered briefly which of our gang was calling to ask about me now. At that time, my own cell phone rang.

My heart stopped beating as Derek's face appeared on my phone. I had photo caller ID. I had forgotten to delete his picture and number. My hands trembled. I didn't know why, but I reached for my phone. I flipped it open and waited to hear his voice. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I thought he would apologize, tell me it was all his fault. It wouldn't make it okay, or even better, but then I'd feel justified in holding all this hate.

I heard him breathing and then, "Peyton."

His voice was hoarse, angry. He was still there, waiting, watching, wanting.

"Peyton, you bitch. I know you went to the cops. But I can forgive you for that. We will be together. Just as I planned. No matter what it takes, we will be together."

Peyton's hand shook harder as she dared to listen further. Maybe he would give a clue as to where he was hiding.

"I'm not above blackmail, Peyton. I'm willing to use your friend Brooke to get to you."

"Don't you dare…" I was speaking to him. I actually had a voice.

He laughed, "Thought that would get your attention. I see her now, Peyton. I could take her from you right now and you wouldn't be able to do anything about her. Tell her I like the pink t-shirt on her."

He hung up the phone with a soft click. My heart was racing. I couldn't breathe. I hadn't heard Brooke in the kitchen. The cell phone was still gripped tightly in my hand as I ran to the kitchen. The back door was wide open and Brooke was no where to be seen.

I was sweating as I stared into the black void beyond the back door. I didn't know if I should call 911, or run after him myself. I couldn't let him hurt her.

My decision was made for me. As I searched the back door, Brooke suddenly popped into view. Her dimples were deep in a smile as she talked on the phone. She looked at me as though seeing me for the first time.

"I gotta go," Brooke told the person on the other end of the line and then turned off her cell phone.

"Peyton, you're shaking, what happened?"

She touched my arm and saw the cell phone in my hand, "Peyton? Was it him?"

I looked past her toward the still open door. I jumped into action and slammed it shut, bolting it and turning the lock. My fear released as I slid down to the floor. I stared at Brooke with tears in my eyes and soaking my face.

"He's out there Brooke," my weak voice annoyed me.

Brooke knelt down next to me, "I know, sweetie, but I just went to the garbage can. We emptied out the ice cream."

I looked at her pink t-shirt. Shaking my head I said, "No. Brooke, he's out there, now. Out there as in Rachel's yard somewhere. He just called me."

I handed her the phone and she looked at the received calls list. Derek's number was the last incoming call. Brooke's face changed quickly from sympathetic to pissed off. I loved pissed off Brooke. She quickly dialed a number on her cell phone. I heard her explain the situation to someone and then tell them to come over quickly. She then dialed another number and barked the same order.

I knew it was probably Nathan and Haley and Lucas that would be joining us soon. The thought made me slightly uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as me and Brooke alone in a huge house with a rapist, my rapist stalking us from outside.

She pulled me to my feet away from the door and upstairs to Rachel's bedroom. She turned off the lights and then went to the window. She searched the grounds below before sitting on the bed and looking up at me.

"What did he say Peyton?"

My mouth was so dry. I was tired of all the fear. Knowing that he was as strong as any man I knew and knowing that he could bust open an door he wanted to, it wasn't reassuring.

"Please, Peyton. Tell me what he said."

I couldn't ignore her pleading eyes, "He said that he would use you to get to me."

Brooke paled slightly, and I noticed the change in her demeanor. She didn't want to end up like me. Raped and scared. The thought struck me as odd. I didn't want her to end up that way either. But it made me realize that everyone would see me differently. Even Brooke saw me as someone other than the Peyton she once knew.

"He can kiss my ass," Brooke said defiantly. "Don't worry Peyton, he's not going to lay a hand on me."

She sounded so confident, so sure of her strength, "You mean, like he laid a hand on me?"

I wasn't sure where the question came from. Self doubt maybe?

"Peyton, I didn't mean that…"

I interrupted her, "It's okay, Brooke. I know what you must think. You must think that I'm so weak. You must have thought a thousand times already how I could let this happen. It's okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke had no idea where it was all coming from. She stood up as Peyton turned away from her. She turned Peyton to face her once again.

"You listen to me Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. The only question I've been asking myself in the last twenty-four hours is how could I have let this happen. You're the strongest person I know. I don't think you're weak, or fragile, or a damn porcelain doll. You're P. Sawyer. The girl who once beat up Tim because he looked up my skirt in middle school. The girl who survived being shot. The girl who lost two moms and still managed to find a reason to smile. You're the girl who I've strived to be every second of every day of the last ten years. If anyone is weak and to blame…it's me. So when I say he's not going to lay a hand on me, it's in no way a reflection of you, but rather a reflection of how useless I've been our whole lives together, and how this time, it's going to be different. I'm finally going to be the one that's going to stand up for you, fight for you, stay with you."

Brooke could feel the fire in her heart. She could tell Peyton was taken back by the risen voice.

"Wow," Peyton blinked, "Good to see that bitch can still be a Brooke."

Brooke smiled, "Bite me."

Brooke instantly regretted her words as she thought about the bite marks she had seen on Peyton's body. "I'm so sorry I shouldn't have said…"

Peyton held up a hand, "I love you Brooke. I just want you to know that."

Brooke hugged Peyton fiercely, "I know."

They both jumped out of their skin when the door bell rang. They looked toward the hallway and moved together down the stairs. Brooke glanced at the grandfather clock in the foyer.

"That was a little too fast to be Nathan or Lucas," she said.

Brooke felt Peyton's hand in hers, "It could be him, Brooke."

Brooke halted in the foyer. Their hearts beat as one without them even knowing it. Both fast and panicked. Brooked breathed in and out loudly, slowly. Peyton hardly breathed at all. They both jumped again when a knock echoed through the quiet house.

"Peyton! Brooke!" Nathan's voice came across loudly, like a hero in the night, "Are you okay?"

Brooke jerked open the door to find Nathan and Haley standing there, anxious and ready for battle. They came in past Brooke. She and Peyton noticed that Haley was carrying a golf club and Nathan had his trademark baseball bat.

"Is Lucas coming?"

Nathan nodded stealing an unnoticed glance at Peyton, "Yeah. He's searching the grounds."

"Sounds so cop," Peyton mumbled, embarrassed to be the reason everyone was so on edge.

Haley didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Peyton, "Hey girl."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was suddenly glad that Brooke had called them. Haley's hug was needed and I didn't even know why. She was like family to me. They all were. Like older cousins or big brothers. Brooke was special, she was my best everything, but I needed Nathan and Haley too. I didn't want to let go of Haley. And she didn't make me. She held onto me until I finally relinquished the embrace.

She looked me over, "You okay?'

I could tell she thought it was a stupid question. I almost saw her wince when she asked it. I tried to wear my half smile, and I think it worked because she looked reassured.

"I am now," I answered her. It felt good to make her feel better. God how I needed them all. I always have. I was just beginning to realize how much I had isolated myself from them. Or had Derek isolated me from them.

The thought angered me. I looked to Nathan, "Hey."

It was all I could say. I could tell he didn't know how to handle me. I didn't blame him. I didn't know how to be handled any more.

He hugged me anyway, and it didn't scare me, "What can we do?"

"Stand guard," Brooke said with a raised eyebrow indicating that she wasn't kidding.

Nathan was about to say something else when we heard something coming from outside in the front yard. Brooke immediately flipped open her cell phone and dialed the police. We then rushed outside, including me, and stopped when we saw two blonde men wrestling on Rachel's front lawn. I could tell who was winning the fight, and it wasn't Lucas.


	8. What a Sister Should Be

-1Chapter 8

Lucas and then Derek took turns being the lead in their struggle to gain control of the weapon in Derek's hand. Nathan was getting ready to make his move into the fight when it was suddenly over. Lucas had been overtaken by Derek and they were both facing the others on the front lawn.

Derek's right hand held a knife against Luke's throat, giving Peyton, Brooke, and Haley reason to gasp. Nathan's fists were clenched against his sides. There was nothing anyone could do. Derek's threat was more a promise than anything. He glared at Peyton from his place of safety behind Lucas.

"Come with me Peyton," his eyes were like fire.

Brooke stepped protectively in front of the shaking blonde, "Let Lucas go, Derek. Or whatever your name is."

"Shut up whore," Derek spit as he hissed at her, "I'm not talking to you. Come one Peyton, come with me. These people aren't your friends. They weren't there for you these past few months. Not like I was. Brooke didn't even like you, Peyton. She could have cared less about you. But I did. I loved you. I was there for you. Come with me."

Brooke could feel her skin rise with chills as the truth etched itself onto her soul. She knew she had not been there for Peyton. She had been too selfish to be concerned with her. She wouldn't let the psycho win. She wouldn't let him defeat Peyton's soul.

"But I'm here now Derek. And I'm not letting you touch her."

She could feel Peyton behind her, close and shivering. She could see the knife pressing into Luke's skin, pulling it taut with the blade. Sirens were wailing in the distance.

"It's over Derek," Lucas' voice was calm and at ease.

Nathan moved slowly toward the angry young man, "Yeah, come on man. The police are on their way. Just turn your self in."

Derek laughed, "And then what? Tell them I hurt Peyton? Because it wasn't hurt, it was love. I loved her like no one ever could. Not even you Lucas."

His last words were a whispered snarl. Luke's face could hardly contain the anger that was surging through him. Through them all. Haley was holding Peyton's hand as Peyton stayed as close to Brooke as she could.

"She was good, Luke. So good. Just ask Nathan." Derek smirked at Haley before looking at Nathan.

"Shut up, Derek."

"My name is not Derek!" He yelled, "It's many things, but it's not Derek. From now on my name is Christopher."

"Whatever Chris," Brooke stood strong despite the fear coursing through her veins. "You're going to jail one way or another. I prefer you leave here in a body bag, but I doubt we'd get that lucky."

The sirens drew closer, "Time's up Christopher."

Lucas turned on Peyton's attacker. The knife nicked his skin in the process but he managed to kick the knife from Derek aka Christopher's hand. Christopher didn't think twice before disappearing into the woods near Rachel's house. He faded into the night as the police raced into the driveway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I couldn't believe he was actually standing in front of us with a knife to Luke's neck. I did this. I brought them all into it. His face was full of hatred and lust-driven anger. I couldn't stop shaking. Luke's hand touched his neck and brought back blood. He had been cut. Brooke was Derek's next target. I could feel it. The way he looked at her.

I could feel Haley's hand in mine. I watched as Nathan helped Lucas. I watched Brooke saying something to the police and then watched them run into the woods. I felt Brooke's hand on my face. Tears were hot on my cheeks. I could feel my heart pounding hard, and fast.

Too much had happened. I tried to hear what Brooke was saying to me before the world around me was swallowed whole by a blackness too dark to shake. Before losing complete consciousness I felt strong arms under me, lifting me off the ground. I would have been scared if I hadn't felt so safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke paced back and forth from the couch to the window. The police lights were still flashing in the driveway as Nathan and Lucas talked to the police outside. Haley was sitting on the couch gently pressing a cool cloth on Peyton's forehead. Brooke's concern, her utter apprehension was making her skin pale. She stopped pacing long enough to sit on the coffee table and run a hand over Peyton's head, smoothing her hair.

"Brooke?" Haley looked at her friend, "How is she doing? Really? You know her better than anyone. It's been less than twenty-four hours, since…since…since it happened. How is she doing?"

Brooke let out a long slow sigh, "I don't know Haley. I mean, one minute she's blaming herself and the next she wants to blame God. But never him. She never blames him."

"Maybe she's scared to even say his name. I mean, you saw the way she passed out, how bad she was shaking. It's obvious that he hurt her too deeply for her to just get over it."

Brooke nodded, "I don't think anyone just gets over this kind of thing, Hales."

Haley rolled her eyes, "I know. I didn't mean it like that. I meant that it wasn't something that he did to her just last night. I mean that's the worst of it, but he's been controlling her life and mind for a few months now, without her even knowing it. It's like…"

"He was hurting her the whole time," Brooke finished.

"Yeah," Haley nodded, "Exactly."

"I see what you mean," Brooke looked back at Peyton, "So how do I, we, help her?"

Haley shrugged, "I have no idea. It might be beyond our experience to help."

Haley looked at Peyton's arms as the thin girl slept on the couch. The sleeves of her shirt had gotten pushed up and the bruises were shining examples of man at his worst. The pain they represented took Haley's breath away. She looked at Brooke.

Brooke shook her head, "No. I'm not leaving Peyton to some shrink. I'm going to get her through this even if I have to do it alone."

"That's a lot to take on Brooke," Haley stood up and started pacing the same path Brooke had taken earlier.

Brooke was getting frustrated, "What do you suggest then, Haley? Abandon her? Leave her with no hope?"

"God, no, Brooke," Haley turned back to Brooke, "I'm saying that you aren't alone with her. We're all here for Peyton. We all love her and you have back up. That's all."

Brooke stood up and stretched her arms out to Haley, "Thank you friend."

"Your welcome Tigger."

They both stood at the window and were both unnerved and disappointed to see the last officer coming out of the woods shaking his head. He had gotten away, again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

My dreams were like heaven. I thought they would be hell, but they were heaven. I sat in a room of all white, Lucas across from me. We were wearing t-shirts from a Cure concert. Our faces were clean and freshly washed. I felt so pure and so me. I was clean. Like heaven.

"Peyton," he spoke to me, his voice soft and concerned.

"Hi Luke," I sounded like me. The me before.

"You know this place isn't lost to you, right?"

"Heaven?"

He laughed his sweet boyish chuckle, "This isn't Heaven, silly. It's your soul."

"What are you doing in my soul?" I thought it was a riddle.

"Everyone who loves you is here, in this place."

I looked around, Brooke was sitting cross-legged on the floor reading my diary, it didn't bother me. She looked so sweet and innocent, as did Haley who played a beautiful white acoustic guitar in the corner, and Nathan dribbled a white and grey basketball. They were my friends, my family. They were in my soul, and Derek aka Christopher was no where to be seen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas and Nathan both sat wringing their hands as they all waited for Peyton to wake up. Haley was making some coffee and Brooke was sitting with her head in her hands on the coffee table next to the couch where Peyton was out cold.

"She might sleep the rest of the night," Lucas offered.

Brooke chuckled softly, "She won't."

"How can you be sure?" Lucas asked not really thinking.

Brooke looked at him pointedly and kept her voice low while letting the anger seep in, "Because she was raped, Lucas. Because he held her down and raped her. She doesn't feel safe. Especially when she sleeps."

Lucas stood up immediately as the tears began to fall down Brooke's face. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. He could feel her stifle her own sobs as she stood stiffly in his arms. She was scared for Peyton, and he could tell.

"I'm sorry Brooke," Lucas spoke softly, "I'm sorry this happened to her."

"Me too," she said through tears. She backed away from Lucas and looked up at his neck, "I'm glad you stopped bleeding."

He placed his hand subconsciously to his throat, "Ah, it's nothing. At least that's what we'll tell my mom, because she'll kill me if she knew what really happened."

"Thank you guys for coming tonight," Brooke looked at Nathan as well. He had been so quiet since Derek had escaped.

"Nathan," Lucas sat next to him and patted him on the back, "You okay, bro?"

Nathan shrugged, "I guess he got to me out there. To all of us. I mean, if he could rile us up like that in a few minutes what did damage did he do to Peyton's psyche in the last few months. He's right. We haven't been there. Hales and I have been dealing with the pregnancy and money."

"I've been busy with…well, I've been busy," Luke looked at Brooke shyly.

"And I've been a bitch to her," Brooke sat down again on the coffee table. "I'm going to make it up to her now. I can't change what has already happened. But I can change what does happen. And I'm here thick or thin, from here on."

"Me too," Haley said as she came in with a couple of mugs of coffee. She handed one to Nathan and the other to Lucas.

"Count me in," Nathan nodded.

Lucas shrugged, "No where I'd rather be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He didn't even feel it as his hand landed through the sheetrock in the shabby motel room. Every obscene word he knew flew from his mouth as he threw everything in the room at the walls. He refused to give up and he and Peyton weren't over by a long shot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I heard their voices before I saw their faces. They were making a pact to be there, for each other, and for me. How Steel Magnolias. The thought made me smile. Then I thought of him. He was out there. Wasn't he? Wanting waiting watching. That was him summed up to a tee. He wouldn't stop until I was dead. Or his.

I opened my eyes and saw the familiar loving faces looking at me. Brooke was closest to me, as she had been since it all started. I could feel their eyes on me, searching for signs that I would break. I instinctively pulled my sleeves over my hands. I slowly sat up, trying to ward off the spinning of the room. It worked.

"Do you want me to get you some water, or something?" Nathan asked me.

I thought about it for a second. My mouth was very dry. I smiled at him and nodded. My words weren't ready to come out yet. I wanted to scream and yell, to thank them for trying, to ask them about Derek-Chris. Whatever his name was. But my words just weren't ready.

I looked at Brooke. Really looked into her eyes. I wanted to say so much to her. I wanted her to know that if it weren't for her last night I would have died. My hands shook as she stared back at me, holding my eyes with her own. We were both scared, sad, lost. But I knew she was in it with me. They all were. She cupped my face in her hands and touched my forehead with hers. Meeting of the minds. She knew what I was thinking, so I didn't have to say a word.

I threw Haley a thankful smile and then found the courage to search Lucas' face. I noticed the bright red mark on his throat. My hand flew involuntarily to my own throat.

"No, it's okay," Lucas said immediately, "It was a small cut, didn't even bleed that long."

I could tell he wasn't lying and again I wanted to speak, but it was as though my voice was gone. Was I too tired to speak? Too scared? I looked at the window unnerved by the presence of the vast darkness beyond.

"The police are outside Peyton. They aren't leaving." Brooke's voice was always reassuring.

"And neither are we," Nathan said as he came back in with a glass of water.

I took it from him gratefully and drank greedily as though I had never had water before in my life. It was so good, a simple life-sustaining substance in a world that often tried to squelch life.

Somewhere out there was my nightmare, but for a few minutes, for a few hours maybe, I was safe in this place, with these faces. Brooke sat next to me on the couch, and Haley sat on the other side of me. They enclosed me, protected me. My eyes felt heavy again and I felt myself nod off head on Brooke's shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you're going to be okay sleeping like that?" Lucas was looking down at Brooke who was leaning back on the couch holding onto Peyton.

Brooke shook her head, "Not really, but it doesn't matter as long as she's okay."

It reminded Luke of the Duke party he had picked Peyton and Brooke up from the year before, when Peyton had been drugged. Brooke was a fierce friend. He was glad they were friends again. Despite the reason that brought them back together.

"Nathan and I will be asleep in the hallway outside the living room. Haley's asleep upstairs. She would sleep with us on the floor but with the baby and all…we wanted her comfortable."

"Thank you Luke." Brooke smiled softly, "We needed you guys. Both of us."

Lucas nodded and pulled the blanket up around Brooke and Peyton, "Yell if you need us."

Brooke nodded and waited for Lucas to leave the room. She looked down at the sleeping form in her arms. Her friend. Her sister.

"Don't worry Peyton. For tonight, we're safe. Sleep deep girl."

Brooke felt Peyton shift slightly burying herself deeper into Brooke. Brooke didn't mind. She knew Lucas and Nathan were the guardians of the house, but Brooke was always going to be the guardian of Peyton.


	9. Do I Have to Scream

-1Chapter 9

I vaguely recall the nightmare from the night before. Brooke had held onto me as I shivered and fought my way past Derek and to Brooke. To Brooke, and Lucas, and Haley, and Nathan. I shook off the thought of the darkness and picked up Rachel's favorite mug, "Havin' a bad hair day."

I felt the warm bitter liquid sink to the bottom of my stomach. Coffee. It was what it was. It was a simple liquid. Beans and hot water. Coffee. I had been awake for an hour, and watched as my friends slept. Brooke was in an impossibly uncomfortable position the entire night, but I had been comfortable. I had been safe. Thanks to Brooke.

Nathan and Lucas were next to one another in the foyer, their sleeping bags wrapped around their legs. I knew their backs had to be aching. Their necks sore from the hardwood floor. I had crept up the stairs and watched Haley turn in the big bed in Rachel's parents' bed. She should have been comfortable but the look on her face said she was dreaming. Dreaming about bad things.

I then came to the kitchen and made coffee. The one thing that never changed for me. Hot, bitter coffee. I stood at the back door and looked out the window to the woods near Rachel's house. A new cop was sitting in the driveway alert, protecting us. I was glad that the country's taxes paid for at least one useful thing.

I jumped as my cell phone buzzed on the counter next to me. Brooke must have set it to vibrate. I dared to look at the caller ID and was not surprised one bit to see Derek's name and picture. It was seven in the morning. He would never quit. I debated answering it. I wanted to know what he had planned, then maybe we could combat him. But I couldn't stand his voice, his words. They were the very evil that surrounded my soul, wanting to destroy it.

It buzzed again. I could picture him becoming angry that I wasn't answering. It somewhat comforted me. I reached for the phone. I was going to answer. As my fingers stretched out another hand grabbed the phone off the counter and snapped it open.

"Listen psycho boy," it was Haley, "I'm coming for you. We're all coming for you. You think you're a bad ass stalker. You haven't seen anything yet. Now leave Peyton alone."

She hung up the phone and handed it back to me, "Don't ever answer him again, Peyton."

My mouth must have been open with shock. Haley had been asleep. How did she know?

"It's okay, Peyton. It's okay to want to fight him, to be scared, but don't let him get to you this way."

She pointed to the phone, "Cut him off, and he'll wilt."

I watched her as she moved from me to the fridge and then to the counter. She was pouring two bowls of cereal. I stood there blinking. Haley? She was tougher than I thought. Wow.

"Come on," she patted the seat next to her, "Be a kid and eat some Fruity Pebbles with me."

I still hadn't spoken. I had a million things to say, and still my voice was dysfunctional. I sat next to her. I listened to what she had to say.

"Look, Peyton. I'm not going to begin to imagine what you're going through. What happened to you…well, it's impossible to imagine unless you've been through it. So I'm not going to pretend to understand anything. What I do know is that you must be feeling really lonely right now, even with all of us here. You must feel like there's nothing anyone can do to really help you. But I know you're wrong. You just have to make sure to let us in. Let all of us in, because we love you. I love you. You're our friend and we've had our ups and downs, but we're not going to let you fall Peyton. Never. Okay?"

Blink. Blink. I felt less alone than I had when I had gotten up. I nodded my head. I wanted to say, "okay", but my voice was MIA.

"Are you okay, Peyton?" Haley was searching my face closely.

I nodded again, and then decided to confide in her. My voice was weak, but I finally found it.

"I'm worried about Brooke."

"Brooke?" Haley asked, "Why?"

I licked my dry lips and frowned deeply, "Derek. He said he would go after Brooke to get to me."

Haley paled slightly, "Do you think he would follow through with that?"

I looked at her incredulously. She shook her head, "Of course he would."

"How do I protect her, Haley? I can't even protect myself."

"You let us protect you and her."

Her answer was simple, and yet I couldn't let them risk themselves for me.

"She held you all night. You know that don't you?" Haley looked at me with kind eyes.

I nodded, Brooke was my rock, "She's been holding me since it happened. She's got to be tired."

"Not Brooke," Haley reassured me, "Not when it comes to you."

"I don't deserve her," I surprised myself with that simple admission.

Haley smiled, "Yes you do. You deserve each other. Do you know how often she asked me about you when you two weren't speaking?"

I shook my head. I had no idea, but I wanted to know.

"Every day she would ask me how you were, but then would threaten me with death if I told you she asked about you. She was worried about you. She always has. She loves you very much, Peyton."

I nodded. I could tell in the last 36 hours that Brooke was never going to leave again. She would be

the one person who would never leave me. I would be able to count on her for everything.

"That's why I have to protect her, Haley," I stood up from the table. A plan was forming in my mixed-up mind. I was going to use myself as bait and draw Derek into the open. Haley, Nathan, Lucas, and Brooke weren't going to be a part of the plan. I would take him down myself. I had to.

"You aren't ready, Peyton." Nathan was standing at the door, his hair sticking up from his uncomfortable night.

"For what?" I asked him.

Nathan kissed his wife on the head as he poured himself a cup of coffee, "You aren't ready to take him on by yourself."

How in the hell did they know me so well. Had I really been alone all this time or have they always had my back. He had read my mind.

"What?" Brooke's angry voice was coming from behind me. It made me shiver. I was about to be lectured. "Hell no, P. Sawyer. You aren't about to confront Derek. Over my dead body."

"Please, don't say it that way," I frowned at her, figure of speech giving me images I didn't want.

Lucas came in running his hand through his hair, "What's going on?"

"Peyton wants to go after Derek, alone." Brooke was such a tattle-tale. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was angry.

"No," I tried to protest, "I just don't want to…"

"Peyton, you can't take him on. No way. Not without all of us." Lucas' voice was filled with concern.

I sat back down at the table and drank my coffee, "Then what do you guys suggest. Because I would rather go through it all again than to have him get his hands on Brooke."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke sat next to Peyton and laid her hand on Peyton's bruised arm, "I suggest we let the police handle it, Peyton. Because right now we need to focus on taking care of you."

"No, we don't damn it," Peyton's voice rose as she pushed her chair away from the table and stood, "We don't need to focus on me. I know him, Brooke, I know what he's capable of and I know that if he says he's coming for you then he is. And I'd rather be out there with him alone than to let him anywhere near you."

Everyone was silent, looking down at their mugs of hot coffee or their feet. The weight of Peyton's pledge weighed heavily on their hearts. Brooke thought about what she had seen Peyton go through in the last 36 hours. It had been so much, and yet Peyton was willing to go through it again to protect her.

Brooke stood up and wrapped her arms around Peyton, "He's not going to get to either of us Peyton. Let him try. We won't let him."

Peyton pulled away from Brooke, "You can't stop him."

The scared blonde ran from the room. The others sat quietly until they heard the bedroom door slam shut upstairs. The shower started up immediately after that. Brooke sat back down and laid her head on the table. She felt Haley's hand on her head.

"Don't worry Brooke, she's going to be okay," Haley's voice was filled with certainty.

Brooke lifted her head. Nathan and Lucas were now sitting at the table. "How do we know that? I mean look at her. I can see it in her eyes. She blames herself for everything."

"So do you," Lucas said softly. "We can read you, Brooke. You blame yourself for not being there."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. You blame yourself, Peyton blames herself. The only person who needs the blame placed on him is the psycho boy. Maybe Peyton's right. Maybe we should go after him. The police are completely insufficient so far."

Lucas shook his head, "No. It's not the best way. He may be psycho but he's obviously very smart. What happens if one of us gets hurt? What happens if he gets to Peyton? Then what? If he hurt her again, in any way, I don't know what I'd do."

Brooke felt the same as Lucas and was glad to see him admitting some of his feelings for Peyton. She just hated the lousy timing.

"I just hope Peyton thinks about it and realized that we're right. She doesn't need to go after Derek alone." Haley frowned at the thought.

"we can't keep her a prisoner here. Sooner or later she's going to want to go out again. I know my Peyton. She's a survivor. Before too long she's going to want to fight back and fight hard. She's going to leave this house like nothing's wrong and pretend like everything's just fine. She'll try to bury the fact that she was ever that deeply hurt. She'll try to forget the fact that she was raped."

Brooke had everyone's attention, "She'll probably even succeed for a little while and then one day, something will happen, maybe someone will say something like he did, or maybe the anniversary of the day will come up, and Peyton will snap. She's going to feel it all sooner or later, and frankly, I hope it is later. But her going after Derek. That's false bravado. She wants to protect me, I'm sure of that, but I also think she needs to prove something to herself. She needs to prove that he has no control over her."

Haley caught on, "And by doing that, she's going to end up giving him more control."

"Especially if he hurts her again," Nathan scowled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They meant well. I'm sure they did. But I had other plans. I heard the shower running in the bathroom as I climbed out the bedroom window. I skirted along the short roof of the porch and then found the point closest to the ground.

I wish I could say that I wasn't afraid. I wish I could say that I was making no mistakes. But I couldn't say either of those things. The truth was, I was terrified and I knew it was going to end badly, but I had to protect my friends, especially Brooke.

Despite the pain that coursed through my already broken body, I jumped to the ground below. I hadn't made a single sounds. They would still think I was in the shower. I peaked around the corner and saw that the policeman was half-dozing, not watching at all. I shook my head knowing that my safety was his last concern.

I snuck around the back of the house to where Brooke's VW Beetle was sitting. I knew where Brooke kept the keys. I flipped down the visor and felt the keys hit my hand. I caught them and inserted them into the ignition. I knew Brooke, Lucas, Nathan and Haley would hear the engine starting. I just hoped I could get out of the driveway before I saw any of their faces. I didn't want to see them looking at me with disappointment in their eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke and Haley talked about the song Haley had been writing. Nathan and Lucas discussed the plan to make Peyton physically strong. They were all good ideas. Somewhere in Brooke's mind she felt as though something wasn't right. The shower was still running, but she just knew Peyton's wasn't in it. Before she could say anything, they all heard the sound of a car starting behind the house.

"Son of a bitch," Brooke hissed as she ran out the back door followed closely by Lucas and Nathan.

Haley sat at the table, a small sad but proud smile on her face as she whispered to herself, "Good luck Peyton."

Brooke was the first to reach the driveway and saw the rear of her vehicle leaving Rachel's property. She stopped and put her hands on her knees, completely in shock and scared for her friend.

"Damn it," she finally said, "What do we do?"

Nathan shook his head, "It's her choice, Brooke. She was already forced to do something against her will. We're her friends. We can't stop her from trying to save herself."

"Or you," Lucas added.

"To hell we can't," Brooke's face was clearly filled with determination. She stormed back into the kitchen where Haley was pouring herself another bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

Brooke stopped when she saw Haley, "You don't seem one bit concerned, Haley."

The pregnant girl shrugged, "She's stronger than we think, Brooke. Besides, I don't need to be concerned when you're already concerned enough for the whole world."

"Is that a bad thing?" Brooke was completely confused by her friends' reaction, "Just minutes ago we were all telling Peyton that she should not be alone with Derek still out there, were we not?"

Haley nodded, "Sure, Brooke. I didn't say this was by any means a great idea, but Peyton feels she needs to do this, so…who am I to stop her?"

"Well, I'm her best friend, and obviously the only one who cares, so I'm going after her."

Brooke grabbed the only other set of keys on the pegboard next to the back door. She stormed back out of the kitchen and pushed passed Nathan and Lucas.

"Where are you going?" Lucas walked quickly behind Brooke.

"I'm going to save Peyton," Brooke said as she opened the garage door and saw the black sports Lexus sitting there shiny and new.

"I don't think you should take Rachel's mom's car," Nathan grimaced.

Brooke frowned, "I don't give a damn about this car. I only care about this idiotic move Peyton has made."

"What do you want us to do?" Lucas asked.

"Stay here in case she comes back. I'll call you if anything happens."

"Be careful, Brooke," Lucas called after her as she started the car and sped out of the driveway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's me," I said to the devil on the other end of the line.

He listened to what I had to say.

"How do I know this isn't a trap by the police?" He asked me.

"You don't know that," I answered, "You just have to trust me when I say that I'll do whatever it takes to keep Brooke safe."

"All about her, huh?" Derek said.

I could tell he was excited already. The thought made me tremble with disgust.

"Meet me in ten minutes, or don't meet me at all," I told him.

He agreed and we ended the call. I was going to meet the psycho where it had happened. I was going to hell itself. God what was I thinking


	10. Sweet Sacrifice

-1AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank y'all so much for all the reviews. You're amazingly kind and supportive. This is my second update for today just because I'm so motivated by all the response I've been getting. I hope you guys will be intrigued by the turns this story takes. Don't worry, it won't always be action and drama. I've got to get through the Derek stuff to get to the aftermath of it all. That's when the story REALLY starts…which is strange because I'm already on chapter 10. LOL. Thank y'all for reading this. Seriously. You've made my year awesome! -Jill

Chapter 10

Brooke wasn't sure where to go first. Where would Peyton go to lure out Derek? She looked down at her own cell phone sitting on the console of the Lexus. She grabbed it and dialed Peyton's number. A number she had memorized a long time ago.

It began to ring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I knew she would call sooner or later, I just figured she would be so mad that it would be later. It struck me that she must be looking for me, out there, trying to find me. I jerked open my cell phone.

"Brooke," my voice was shaking, "Don't try to find me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer," Brooke felt the fear rising in her own voice. The situation was escalating to an out of control disaster, "Don't you dare hang up on me."

"Brooke," Peyton sounded so confused, tired, "Please, I have to do this alone."

Brooke's face was screwed into a scowl, "The hell you do, Peyton. We're best friends. I'm in this with you until it's over."

Peyton was silent on the other line for a few minutes, "Peyton?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was making my decision very difficult. I loved Brooke very much, but to involve her any further would be a huge mistake.

"I'm still here," I said, not wanting her to worry any more than she already was.

"Peyton," Brooke sounded so sad, "Please, Peyton. I don't want him to hurt you any more."

It was a sad thought, spoken from a sad, but determined, voice, "Neither do I."

My voice betrayed my tears. She couldn't see me, but I knew that she knew I was crying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The tears she could hear in Peyton's voice broke her heart. There was no way she was going to let her face Derek alone.

"If you don't tell me where you are Peyton, I'm going to find you anyway."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Then you'll have to find me, Brooke," I sighed, "Because there's no way I'm letting Derek get his hands on you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Peyton hung up her cell phone. Brooke immediately redialed but it went straight to voice mail.

"Jesus, Peyton!" She yelled at the air.

Brooke sat at a red light contemplating her next move. Where would Peyton go to find Derek? Where would Derek go to find Peyton? Brooke knew the answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I parked Brooke's car outside of my house. I hadn't thought about coming back here. But it seemed like the right place to take back my life. To save Brooke, as she had saved me. It seemed like forever since I had walked through the front door. I couldn't believe it had only been a day and a half ago. I left the front door open. Perhaps as a subconscious sign to Brooke. I don't know. I could hear the music upstairs. Slow, melodic, terrifying. He was insane.

I went quickly to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could find. I tucked it into the back waistband of my jeans partly uncomfortable with the cold metal that was touching my bare skin, mostly comfortable with the protection it could possible bring.

I climbed the stairs slowly. I knew he was waiting for me. I was shaking from head to toe. I didn't know what the consequences of my actions would be. I hadn't thought it through that far. I only knew that by sacrificing myself he would not go near Brooke. It was worth it. I hoped.

The idea of Brooke being out there searching for me, panicking over what could happen to me, made me fully aware of how much she cared for me. I knew I was doing the right thing.

I turned the corner into my bedroom and stopped. My breathing was shallow, hardly existing. He was sitting on my bed, wearing his usual tank top and worn out jeans. He was wearing hiking boots and a grin.

"Peyton," his voice was calm and gentle, but I knew he was anything but those things.

I didn't say anything as I ventured into the room. I leaned against the door, feeling the knife still secured against my back tucked into my pants. I held his gaze although I really didn't want to. I finally found the nerve to speak.

"What do I need to do to make sure you never hurt Brooke?"

He smiled at me, an unsettling smirk, "I love blackmail. It seems to work every time. You know, Peyton, that's why I chose you. It was because you would do anything for your friends including give yourself to me. That's what you're doing now."

"I am?" I wasn't sure what his plan was, but I would kill him before I would ever be touched by him again.

He nodded and stood. I knew he didn't show up without a weapon and I was pretty sure he had it tucked into his jeans the way I did. I just didn't know what weapon he had brought with him. My gut instinct was to run. Run, find Brooke, and Lucas and Nathan and Haley and hide away from the rest of the world forever. But that wasn't something I could do. Not when it meant putting Brooke at risk.

"We're going away, Peyton. You and me. We're going to leave this crappy place and head west. I was thinking about how wonderful life would be, just you and me, and Wyoming, or Montana."

He was serious. I could see it in his face. He wanted me to willingly run away with him and fall in love with him. He was definitely out of his perverted, sick, twisted mind. I should have let my friends in on the plan. I felt the cell phone in my pocket. I had to let someone know where I was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke drove down Peyton's street as her cell phone began to ring. She quickly saw Peyton's name on the caller ID and flipped open her cell phone. Immediately she heard a male's voice. Derek. She remained silent, knowing that this was a call for help.

She stopped in front of Peyton's house. Brooke saw it again. The open door. She had the cell phone pressed against her ear and listened as Derek confirmed their whereabouts by reminiscing about his and Peyton's encounter two nights earlier. Brooke was disgusted by everything she heard. She didn't know what to do, or who to call.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I hoped Brooke was listening. I glanced down at my phone, only to have it knocked away by Derek. As his hand grazed mine, I was thrown back to the night just two days earlier, when he had viciously assaulted me. Instead of shame, or self-doubt, or hate for myself, my anger blinded me to the pain of that night. I turned all of my attention to the knife in my waistband.

I grasped its wooden handle and slipped it from my jeans. He stepped closer to me, completely unafraid of the weapon I clutched in my shaking hand. Hurry Brooke, please.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke abandoned all thoughts of calling anyone as she realized she was out of time. She knew a weapon was out. She threw her cell phone down in the Lexus and quickly made the open door her target. She had to get to Peyton.

She could hear the thin blonde upstairs. She screamed. The sound was followed by a small thud and then a sickening sound as hand hit flesh. Brooke flinched. What was she about to find?

She rushed into the room and saw Derek standing over Peyton with a taser gun. Peyton's lip was bleeding. Brooke knew it was the reason for the sound of hand on flesh. Derek had smacked her to the ground. Brooke didn't think before she tackled Derek to the ground. He was more annoyed than effected. They rolled to the ground together. Brooke was hitting and kicking the entire way.

Peyton rolled over on the ground, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground. She had bitten her tongue when she had fallen and that added to the blood that was pouring from the cut on her lip. She was getting tired of tasting her own blood.

She managed to stumble to her feet in time to see Brooke nail Derek between the legs with her knee. Derek rolled off her and appeared to be out of it for at least a second. Brooke quickly stood up.

"Ass," Brooke sneered at Derek.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I couldn't stop myself from shaking all over. If Brooke had not appeared he would have shocked me into unconsciousness and then taken me away from Tree Hill. I don't know what would have happened then.

I allowed Brooke to wrap an arm around my shoulder. We began to exit the room when suddenly Brooke was tripped to the ground by Derek who quickly grabbed the knife that I had brought to the room and placed it against Brooke's throat.

I was stunned, shocked. I was helpless to save her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke could barely breathed with the grip that Derek had around her chest. She felt as though her lungs were being crushed. She hardly even noticed the sharp edge of the knife pressed against her neck. She looked at Peyton and swallowed hard. There was no way out for Brooke, but she knew Peyton could go get help.

But looking at Peyton, she knew that her friend would never leave her alone with Derek Sommers. Not even for a second.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Derek, please, don't hurt her," I begged him.

Derek looked pissed, "Hurt her? I wouldn't have Peyton if she wouldn't have come barging in here. Now what am I supposed to do?"

I didn't say anything. I was afraid to speak, afraid to set him off.

He looked thoughtfully from me to Brooke and back again, "Let's go."

"Go where?" I asked him, never taking my eyes off Brooke.

He looked at me like I was an imbecile, "To my truck. You're both coming with me. We're leaving this town together. You for my heart, and this little bitch for reassurance."

He jerked at Brooke's hair, making her wince slightly, but I could see how strong she was being. I don't know if it was for me, or for herself, but either way, it was making me feel strong too. He pointed the knife at me and pushed me toward the stairs. I hated his hands for ever touching me, but I hated them even more for jeopardizing Brooke's safety.

I only wished I knew where Lucas was.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas, Nathan and Haley sat at Rachel's kitchen table wondering and waiting.

"This is dumb," Haley said. "We can't just sit here and wait, can we?"

"What other choice do we have?" Nathan asked her.

Haley shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, I thought that it would be good for Peyton to at least think she was going to go up against Derek, but what if she really does?"

"Do you think that's possible? That she could find him and confront him?" Lucas asked.

Haley glanced again at the spot where she had laid Peyton's phone down earlier that morning. She realized it was gone, "It's more than possible."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke's neck was red from the pressure Derek had put on it with the knife, but amazingly there wasn't even a scratch on it. They had climbed into Derek's truck. First Peyton so that she was against the passenger door, then Brooke was in the middle, and finally Derek climbed behind the wheel. He pulled a gun out of the door and waved in their faces.

"Don't make me use this, because I will," He said, tucking the gun into the front of his pants.

Brooke shook her head and held Peyton's hand, "I hope he shoots his manhood off."

Derek glared at her, "Think you're funny don't you?"

Brooke stared straight ahead, afraid to make him any angrier. Derek slammed his elbow into Brooke's face, rendering her immediately unconscious.

"Not so funny now, are you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I wish sometimes Brooke knew when to shut the hell up. I could feel her hand tighten around mine as his elbow collided with Brooke's forehead. Then her hand went limp in mine. I pulled her close to me, tears flooding my cheeks. What have I brought upon her?


	11. Tomorrow's Goodbye

-1Chapter 11

It seemed like minutes, and it seemed like hours. Tree Hill grew smaller in the rearview mirror and Brooke and my problems began to grow larger. I took a second to glance down at the darkening red spot on her forehead where Derek had hit her, rendering her unconscious. My heart ached for her to be awake, for her to use her wit and her grace to protect me. But it was my turn to protect her. It was my fault she was even here.

I kept Brooke pulled close to me and away from Derek. He was quiet, maybe even thoughtful. I didn't care to know what he was thinking. Maybe he was dreaming of some god forsaken moment when he would kill Brooke and have me to himself again.

My heart shuddered at the image. I didn't dare look at the man who had wreaked havoc on my life. My eyes never left the road, or the mirror. Derek drove with purpose but not with speed. He was too damn smart to get pulled over for a traffic violation. And I was too unlucky.

Before too long, he finally looked at me before concentrating on the road ahead, "I hate it when you make me so angry Peyton."

My teeth were grinding together in anger. I kept my lips tightly closed. I would not speak to him. Not when so much was on the line.

"You might not like the idea now, Peyton, but you will. You'll see when we get there. When we get to Montana, you'll see. I have a friend who has a place there. It's so secluded, and romantic."

My stomach twisted at the thought, "What about Brooke?" I had to ask him.

He bit his upper lip for a moment as he truly considered the question. Finally he said, "She'll be useful, if you don't want her to die. I mean, that's the least I can do for you. She can work on the ranch and keep the cabin clean. Right?"

"Right," my voice whispered. I had to agree to keep him from killing her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke's head pounded and she wanted to stop the car and throw up from the pain, but instead she played as though she was out of it. She could feel Peyton's arm wrapped protectively around her. She could feel Derek all too closely on the other side of her. She could hear everything being said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

How far from Tree Hill would we get before we stopped? How far would we have to play along just so we didn't have to die? The questions far outweighed the answers.

We turned off the back roads and onto the interstate. Once we were westbound, I could feel Brooke's hand tighten around mine. I knew then she was playing dead. I had to keep Derek's attention off her. I didn't want her to be hit again.

"Christopher," I began, knowing not to call him Derek, "How far are we going tonight?"

He looked at me, almost lovingly. It made me sick, "I figured we'd get out of North Carolina, maybe into Kentucky."

I had to maintain conversation even though the sound of his energetic voice made me want to retch, "Is it snowing in Kentucky yet?"

He shook his head, "I'm not sure. I don't think it's been cold enough, you know?"

I nodded as he smiled at me. I wondered if he could see what my friends saw. I wondered if he could see the death of part of my soul in my hazel eyes. I wondered if he could see the lack of life in my face. I thought of Rachel's sister, Rebecca. She had committed suicide. I knew why.

I felt Brooke's hand once again, squeezing my own. She was encouraging me. She was protecting me even though she was hurting herself. Why did it have to get so messed up? How did we ever end up here?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been eight hours since Peyton had left Rachel's house. Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Karen, and Whitey stood inside Peyton's house talking to yet another officer.

"Now, Lucas, are you absolutely sure?" Whitey shook as he spoke with the blonde-haired boy.

Lucas nodded, "Yes sir. Both the Lexus and Brooke's bug are here. They were here. In Peyton's room they found a taser gun. I'm pretty sure it was psycho-Derek's. He's got them both. I can feel it."

A uniformed officer spoke into his radio, "Copy that." He then turned to the group of anxious people before him, "They have the highway patrol informed. The problem is that we don't have a vehicle to identify. But now we've got a composite sketch thanks to y'all and we have pictures of the two girls. We'll put an APB out based on that. I just wish I knew what direction they were heading."

"We all do," Whitey said. "We all do."

The officer continued to talk, "I saw the evidence file stacked up against this guy. Your friend, Peyton, he did a real number on her. Hurt her pretty bad."

The cop shrugged and exited Peyton's house. There was nothing more he could do. The APB was all the police could do. Nathan and Lucas hung their heads, they had not, could not, ask what Peyton had been through, they just knew the basics. Haley was in the same boat but she had seen Peyton's eyes earlier that morning when her cell phone had been ringing. Haley looked up the stairs, she shook her head, and walked out the door. The cool night air was harsh on her lungs, but it soothed her nauseous stomach. She looked up at the night sky and wondered where Brooke and Peyton were and if they were looking at the same stars she was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I thought briefly of Haley and Lucas and Nathan as I stared up at the stars. We were finally pulling into a busy area. The signs along the road had told me that we were in Gatlinburg. A place Brooke and I had come once a long time ago, as kids. I thought about the fact that we were still kids. Teenagers, but truly kids. I thought about what Derek had done to me. I would never be a kid again.

Brooke had stopped playing dead at the first gas station we had come to. Damn credit cards, he never had to leave the truck. There was never a chance for either of to escape. Not that one of us would have left without the other. We would never leave each other behind.

She now sat next to me. We sat so close that we could have been one person. We were both tired and hurting and afraid. Our hands never left each other. We were a single lifeline for two souls. I leaned my head on her shoulder. I was shivering and Derek/Christopher had no heat in his truck. I needed a jacket, so did Brooke. I at least had long sleeves on, she was wearing a regular t-shirt. We both had on jeans and tennis shoes.

Derek frowned at the two of us, "Sorry it's cold. The heat stopped working last month and I've been too busy to get it fixed."

"Too busy stalking Peyton," Brooke muttered under her breath.

Derek cut his eyes at her, "What was that?"

Brooke shook her head, "Nothing. I was just wondering if we were going to be stopping in Gatlinburg. Maybe we could buy some jackets."

"I don't have any money," Derek said.

"I've got a credit card," Brooke offered. "I could put it on that. You could use one too."

She was being nice to him. I loved it when Brooke played it smart instead of rogue. We would all be safer that way. I thought about that for a second and realized that if I had been playing smart we wouldn't be in this situation. If I had been smart about anything.

"Christopher, can we leave Brooke here in the morning and you and I can continue on by ourselves?"

Brooke snapped her eyes in my direction, "Peyton, what the hell?"

"Shut up," I told her pleading with my eyes, "I need to be alone with him. We don't need you here."

I hoped Derek couldn't see the tears forming in my eyes. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with him.

Derek smiled, "Yeah, sure. We'll keep her for the night, keep her from running to the police. Then we'll leave her here tomorrow."

I nodded, "Sounds good."

I prayed my voice did not betray my lie. Brooke continued to stare at me pleadingly. She knew what I was doing. She didn't want to leave me. I needed her to be safe.

XXXXXXXXXX

Brooke could feel the gun pressed into the small of her back. Derek hung onto her limply as though they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Peyton was at their side tethered to them with the threat of death to Brooke. They were in a shop on the busy streets of Gatlinburg. The cold weather attracted tourists to the big-little German-esque shopping village. Chalets lit the skyline along the Smokey mountains surrounding them.

"Let's grab some coats and get out of here," Derek hissed in Brooke's ear.

Peyton found a black ski jacket, simple and cheap. Brooke grabbed two of them. Derek pulled a leather jacket from the rack behind them. It was not as cheap.

"Hey, she's paying right?" he smile at Peyton.

Brooke really hated him for making Peyton smile back. It was part of the act. Peyton had to act like she liked him, and Brooke hated Derek for making her do it. She hated it more that Peyton was doing it to protect her.

She wondered what was happening back in Tree Hill. Were they looking for them yet?

XXXXXXXXXXX

Karen paced the floors and looked again at Dan, "There's got to be something we can do. The police are like molasses. They're not going to find them on time. I can feel it."

Dan watched Karen moving back and forth in Peyton's living room, "I've got a private investigator on retainer. Maybe he'll know something to do."

Dan got on his cell phone, truly intent on helping Karen find the girls. He was trying hard to change his evil ways. While on his cell phone the living room got a little more crowded as Rachel rushed in.

"Haley," she called out. Haley entered from the kitchen, "I got your message."

Haley nodded and they sat on the couch across from Karen's pacing spot. Rachel glanced at Karen before turning her attention to Haley, "Guess that says it all."

Haley lowered her head, "Yeah. Derek has them both."

Rachel paled, "Are you sure?"

"Ninety-nine percent," Haley said, "Peyton left your house today by herself. She snuck away and took Brooke's car. So Brooke took your mom's car and followed her. Both cars are here now. They're not. I'm positive that Peyton called him to meet her here so he would leave all of out of it."

"Damn it," Rachel hissed, "What was she thinking? He's going to hurt her again."

"I know," Haley said. She didn't want to think about it. She rubbed her hand across her stomach and glanced at Nathan and then to Dan. He was talking excitedly with someone on his cell phone.

They were silent for more than a few minutes as they all listened to Dan. When he finally hung up the cell phone he turned to the expectant friends of the two girls. Haley, Nathan, Lucas, Karen, Whitey and Rachel listened with their breaths held.

"My PI has some computer expertise. He was able to find Brooke's credit card number and break into the system. He knows that Brooke last used her card twenty minutes ago in Gatlinburg, Tennessee."

"They're there?" Lucas asked almost afraid to be excited.

Dan nodded, "I'll get a charter jet ready within the hour. Meet me at the airport if you want to find your friends with me."

"Should we leave this to the police?" Nathan asked.

Whitey shook his head, "Hell no. For once Dan is right, we're going our selves."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I dreamt of our cavalry riding in on white horses. Our friends, our family. Then I woke up and found that we were in the same shabby motel room. Brooke and I were huddled together in one of the full beds, and Derek was asleep on a chair in front of the door. He wasn't going to let us escape. Not that easily. I could see the shiny revolver sitting on his lap. Too risky.

Brooke moved next to me. She was awake. I spoke as softly as I could, "Any chance we could over take him without being shot?"

Brooke said, "I don't know, P. Sawyer. It's almost worth the risk, huh?"

I nodded. We were fully dressed, shoes and all. Our new jackets keeping us warm, our fear keeping us cold.

We had to do something. I just didn't know what. Was help on the way? Did they know where we were? Did they know to look at Brooke's credit card usage? It was why she offered to use it in the first place. We had planned it the first time we had stopped and Derek was out of the truck pumping gas. We had whispered to one another and knew it might help. We had even used it to book the motel room. I loved Brooke for being the action-taker she was. But would they know to check it?

Where would we go? What would happen? When would help come?

"Let's just go to sleep," Brooke whispered to me, "It's not going to happen tonight."

I tried to drift off to sleep knowing Brooke was still safe and next to me, but the thought of him sitting just across the room, it made me too scared to seek solace in sleep. What if he wanted me again?

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke was at least relieved that Derek had not tried to touch Peyton. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she couldn't stop it from happening again. Derek was so strong and psychotic that she wasn't sure she could stop it if he tried.

She felt Peyton's tense body next to hers. Peyton was thinking the same thing. Derek's soft snore did nothing to alleviate their fears. Brooke looked around the room. There was nothing to be used as a weapon. Nothing. She thought about Peyton's deal with Derek. They would leave her there in the morning. Alive and unhurt, but not with Peyton. Brooke knew she would never let that happen.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The plane touched down at the local airport in Tennessee. The ride would be another 30 minutes. They were closing in on 1am and not one single Tree Hill resident that had joined the crusade was feeling an ounce of exhaustion. They were going to save their friends.

Dan closed his cell phone one more time, "That was my PI again. The credit card was last used at a Holiday Inn on the river. I'm guessing that's in the middle of downtown Gatlinburg. We have a location. I think Haley, Rachel, and Karen need to stay away from the actual action. Me, Nathan, Luke, and Whitey will surround the place and take this guy down.

There were no arguments. The women would wait by the rental car and the men would rescue the girls. The ride to the motel was filled with anxious silence. Would they be there? Would they be unharmed? Would he have hurt either of them? So many questions.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get up!" Derek was in my face, angry and breathing heavily, "Get up now, Peyton."

Brooke stood up only to be pushed against the wall. I managed to sit up and glance at the clock. It was 1:36am. "What's wrong?" I asked scared out of my mind.

"What's wrong?" He repeated my question, "What's wrong is that your friend over here tricked me. They can find us, Peyton. She wanted to use her credit card so they could track us down. Stupid bitch."

Brooke stood up strong and tall, "You're the stupid one Derek. You're the one who didn't realized what I was doing."

He waved his gun in her face, stopping my heart by doing so, "I should kill you now, but that's no way for Peyton and I to start our life together. "

I was terrified he would kill her, "Chris, don't. we can leave her here, and get an early start. Come on."

I pulled on his hand. Pulled him away from Brooke. I could see the determination on her face. This was not going to end well. Not well at all.


	12. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi everyone! Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you very much for the great reviews. You have all been so wonderful and it keeps my head in this story. I've already planned out the next three chapters and chapter 12 should be up tonight or tomorrow. A glimpse of the next few chapters will have us back in Tree Hill. And by chapter 14 they'll be back in school. We'll be dealing with the aftermath of everything and trying to move forward from there. So the ride's not over for a while yet. I hope you will all hang in there with me and the gang from Tree Hill. I'm already thinking of two other stories, one is a bit of a thriller/horror saga in the same light as The Hitcher and the other is a . Let me know if any of you would be interested in those.

Oh! And I thought I'd finally give credit where credit is due. The chapter titles have all been song titles so here's a list of the chapters, including chapters 12 through 14 which haven't been posted yet. Titles and artists

Chapter 1: Does Anybody Hear Her - Casting Crowns

Chapter 2 Even Angels Cry - Jars of Clay

Chapter 3: Stand Still and Look Pretty - The Wreckers

Chapter 4: Answer - Sarah Mclachlan

Chapter 5: I Shall Believe - Sheryl Crow

Chapter 6: Unbroken - Jill Johnson me J

Chapter 7: Safe - Zoegirl

Chapter 8: What a Sister Should Be - Susan Lay

Chapter 9: Do I Have to Scream - Zoegirl

Chapter 10: Sweet Sacrifice - Evanescence

Chapter 11: Tomorrow's Goodbye - Lynard Skynard

Future Chapters;

Chapter 12: Miss Murder - AFI

Chapter 13: Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne

Chapter 14: Broken and Beautiful - Mark Schultz


	13. Miss Murder

-1Chapter 12

Dan stared the motel clerk down, evil eye to confused gaze, "Tell us now which room they're in and you won't have any trouble from the law."

"The law?" The man asked. "I ain't in no need of trouble from the law."

"Then tell us which room Brooke Davis is registered in," Karen demanded from behind Dan.

Haley, Nathan, Lucas, Rachel, and Whitey looked on from behind Karen. Each one was feeling their own anticipation growing, and the fear was sticking to their every vocal inflection.

The man looked at the group a few more seconds before flipping through a worn out register. Haley rolled her eyes, "I can't believe they don't even use a computer."

Nathan nodded, "I'm still shocked they take credit cards."

"Be glad they did or we wouldn't be able to find them," Whitey said.

The man finally looked up at Dan, "Sir…the man that was with them, the crazy one, he called us about thirty minutes ago and did a phone check out."

Karen glanced at her watch, "At 1:00 in the morning? Are you serious?"

The man nodded apologetically, "He could still be up there. Sometimes people check out over the phone before they're even packed up."

Dan took the room key from the man and he and the others took off in search of the room Brooke and Peyton were in. They could only pray that they were alive and safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke took another shove from Derek as he yanked Peyton out of the bed by her thin upper arm. Brooke hit the wall with a thud. Although the impact made her shudder with pain, she fought to stand up.

Derek was shoving Peyton to the ground, angrily screaming at her, "Damn it, Peyton! Move faster! Don't hesitate for this stupid bitch."

Peyton scrambled to get up, but Derek pushed her again, making her stumble over her own feet. Brooke could see Peyton growing more and more afraid each time Derek laid a hand on her. It had been only a couple of night before that Derek was beating her best friend, raping her. The thought infuriated Brooke. She didn't know how to fight him. She remembered the promises she made to Peyton. She couldn't let Derek hurt Peyton ever again.

Derek was swinging the gun around and threatening a hesitant Peyton with it. Brooke saw it as her chance, as Derek's eyes were no longer on Brooke as he continued to terrorize Peyton by slamming her against the wall. Brooke had to do something.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I saw her leap before Derek had a chance to force a kiss on me. I ignored the tears on my face as Derek suddenly had 110 pounds of furious girl on his back taking swings at his head. The gun was still firmly grasped in his right hand. Brooke reached for it, tightly squeezing her own hand around Derek's.

I flinched as they swung in a circle, the gun muzzle grazing my cheek as it went by. The cold steel was more intimidating and formidable than anything I had ever gone up against, including Derek. Guns were permanent. My heart and breath stopped as Derek managed to buck Brooke off of him and knocked her to the floor. I heard a second smaller thud. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the gun tumble to the ground just under the bed.

"Brooke!" I could see the blood on her forehead. She was not responding and I couldn't tell if she was out cold or pretending to be.

I didn't have time to find out because Derek turned all of his attention to me. He was in a rage, a rage I had seen a glimpse of when he had stormed out of my house a few nights ago. The thought froze me. I wanted to sink into the ridiculous looking wallpaper behind me. With each angry step he took toward me I felt a second of my life slip away. He put his hands on my cheeks and roughly slammed my head against the wall. It was enough to send stars shooting across my vision but not even close to knocking me out.

I tried to see Brooke, but Derek was blocking every inch of my view. He was trying to kiss me, to touch me. I screamed at him to stop, I begged God to please step in this time. To please make it turn out differently. I didn't know how much time we had. I had no idea. With each protest I made Derek became even more angry. Before too long, all I could see in his eyes were hate and rage. I knew then that he was going to kill me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucas' heart was on overload as he realized with each step how much he loved both of the girls they were searching for. Brooke had become a part of his life he never wanted to lose, his friend. Peyton had become his soul mate. Or she had been all along and he only realized with the threat of her no longer being there.

Haley's song rang true in her own ears. She knew that if they didn't reach Brooke and Peyton in time then they might not make it out of the entire situation unbroken. She knew she would never be as close to Brooke and Peyton as Brooke and Peyton were to each other, but she knew she could be there for both of them. She glanced at Rachel and began to realize that Rachel was a lot more of a friend than she had ever let on.

Rachel ignored the biting windchill and marched forward with the people from her hometown. Her only friend in Tree Hill was Brooke Davis, and Peyton was someone she had grown to care about. Rachel thought about the fact that the only people in their group with two parents that were around, normal or not, were the boys. She, Brooke, Peyton and Haley were virtual orphans. Rachel knew that it explained so much about their fates.

Whitey was too old for this, but he led the pack. Peyton was like a granddaughter to him, had he ever had kids with kids. She reminded him so much of everything he stood for. She was defiant and brassy. She was wise and innocent all in one fresh breath of air. Whitey wouldn't let anything happen to her.

They climbed the stairs and Karen was out of breath. Her pregnant belly was hardly growing, but

she could spiritually sense the presence within her. She knew she was going to have a little girl. She could feel it. She had prayed many times in the past few days that her daughter would never know the pain that Peyton had experienced and would continue to experience. She thought about daughters as they turned yet another corner and climbed one more set of stairs. Peyton, Brooke and Haley were her daughters too. Not by blood or by raising, but by heart. They were her girls and she loved them as though they had come from her body.

Dan's mind was a tumultuous stream of guilt and anger thoughts. He knew he was an evil person, after all he had killed his own brother in cold blood, but there was something about what had been done to Peyton that made his blood boil. He wondered to himself if it weren't for guilt, would he be the same kind of man as Derek.

Nathan held his wife's hand as they drew closer to their destination. He could feel the fear and the anger coursing through all their veins. He couldn't believe that his dad was being a stand-up kind of guy for once in his life. He was proud of him. He knew Karen was thinking about her baby and the future he or she could have. She was continuously placing her hand on her stomach. He thought about his own child and hoped that if it were a girl she would never go through anything like this. He knew that if she did, he would commit murder.

They were on the floor they needed to be on. Hearts pounding and breath heavy, they made the decision to forge ahead. Dan, Nathan, Lucas and Whitey would go to the room, Haley, Karen and Rachel would wait at the corner of the third floor. They could see the room from where they stood, but were well out of harm's reach. It was time for action.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I could feel his hands around my throat. My muscles and windpipe were screaming, begging for air. I on the other hand could say nothing. I felt blackness creeping around my outer vision. Derek was literally squeezing the life out of me. I thought about the cross on my neck and wondered if I should accept Jesus as my savior. Would this be it for me?

I looked one last time to Brooke and saw her moving slowly on the floor. She was so quiet. Everything was quiet. I couldn't even hear Derek, or Chris, or whatever his damn name was. I couldn't hear him breathing in my ear anymore. I couldn't feel anything. Just a numbness. A welcome respite from the chaos of the recent few days. Brooke caught my attention. She was going for the gun. I was about to black out when I heard it. A gun shot. It was loud…it was welcomed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Her hand shivered on the cold steel of Derek's gun. She thought maybe she was cold, then she felt the warm spray of a coppery scented liquid. A light spattering, but warm enough to make her weak in the knees. She could feel her own blood trickling down her forehead, interfering with her sight. She blinked it away. She saw the damage she had inflicted with a single bullet.

Derek fell slowly to the floor. There was a whole in the back of his head. She had aimed. She had learned to shoot in her youth. But the only thing she had ever shot before were clay pigeons in skeet shooting. She had aimed and she had created the lead filled whole in the back of his head. There was no doubt about it. Derek Sommers was dead.

Brooke wiped her face with her hands and then looked down at the fresh blood that covered her fingers. She knew the blood was not her own. She looked up at Peyton. Peyton was staring back at her, her face filled with shock, fear, and relief. Brooke had taken a life. A human life was extinguished and Brooke held the smoking gun…literally. Her hands began to shake viciously as the reality of what had just happened became too clear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I looked down at Derek. His eyes were frozen open. I knew he was dead. I looked at the person who had killed him. Brooke was standing before me, pale, shaking, looking as though she was about to pass out. She did what she had to do, and I knew Brooke Davis, she wasn't sure it was the right thing.

I stepped over Derek's lifeless body and quickly embraced Brooke as she sank to her knees. There was no response from her. "God. Please, God. If you're listening, and I know you are. Please help us get though this. Please." It's all I could think. We needed help. I didn't know what to do next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dan gave Lucas the signal. He held out his gun and Lucas kicked the door open. They had heard the gunshot and knew the situation had grown beyond dangerous. They immediately saw Derek, dead on the floor and then found Brooke and Peyton, hugging one another, crying, rocking back and forth on the floor. Whitey went straight to Peyton and Brooke. Dan covered Derek's body. Lucas called 911, and Nathan motioned for the waiting women to come closer.

As sirens wailed in the distance, neither Peyton nor Brooke would say a word. But everyone knew what had happened. They knew, because Brooke had not dropped the gun. They were all frozen by death.


	14. Keep Holding On

-1Chapter 13

Two hospitals in one week. It was a new record for me. I avoided them at all costs. The doctor pressed on the developing bruises that were wrapping their way around my neck. I wasn't in shock, or even remotely confused. I felt vindicated. I felt almost happy. And when I looked at my best friend, sitting shockingly still beside me, I felt sick to my stomach.

Brooke had killed Derek to save me. She had taken another human's life, as unworthy as he was to be a human, in order to make sure I continued to exist. Was it worth it for her? Was she having regrets? Would she do it again if she had known how horrible she would feel afterwards? I just wasn't sure.

She leaned against me and sighed, as I leaned against her. The cut on her head had been slightly deeper than I thought it was. It took four stitches. Small cut, but painful nonetheless. I could tell she was beyond exhausted. I knew I would have to take care of her just as she had taken care of me. And we would both have to let our friends take care of the two of us.

Haley, Nathan, Lucas, Karen, Dan, Rachel and Whitey were in a waiting area not too far down the hall. They would be there until we were finished answering questions. The doctor looked as over as the police scrutinized our every facial expression.

"Can you tell me again, Miss Sawyer, just for the record, was Christopher Franklin trying to kill you when Miss David pulled the trigger?"

I nodded , my voice soft and raspy from bruised vocal chords, "Yes. His hands were around my throat and he was choking me to death. I was about to pass out when I heard the gunshot."

The officer looked at the doctor and the doctor nodded. I knew that meant that the doctor could collaborate what I was saying medically speaking. I liked the Gatlinburg PD. They were a lot more reasonable and a lot less accusatory than the cops in Tree Hill.

The older of the two cops that were interviewing us smiled kindly at both of us, "I think we have all we need, ladies. We spoke with the detectives working on your case in Tree Hill and from all the data we've gathered, we're dealing with one hundred percent justifiable homicide."

Brooke shivered next to me. I thanked the officers for both of us, because Brooke hadn't said a word since we left the motel. She wasn't like I was three nights earlier. She wasn't a total mess, or hysterical, or too scared to look at anyone. She was just quiet. Lost in thought. Maybe lost in that moment when she pulled the trigger and shot the man who had terrorized me and would have kept doing so.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke watched everything unfolding as she remained quiet. She could feel the warmth from Peyton sitting next to her, otherwise, she felt cold and dead inside. Her face felt as though she had injected a pound of botox into the facial muscles. Her expression was frozen into a sullen frown.

She shifted from her current position when she realized she was leaning against Peyton. Suddenly the exhaustion hit Brooke. She refused to think about what she had done. She knew why she did it, why she had to do it, but she didn't want to think about it.

The cops finished gathering what evidence they needed and Brooke gathered very little relief from their rule of justifiable homicide. Brooke had almost smirked at the sound of the words. Justifiable homicide was still homicide. It just had a fancier name.

The police left, followed soon by the doctor. Both girls were dismissed with no restrictions. They were allowed to return to Tree Hill. Brooke remained in her seat while Peyton gathered the few things they had. Peyton slipped on her black jacket, the one they had had to buy. Brooke looked at hers hanging on the end of the bed. She couldn't see the specks of blood on it, but she knew they were there. His blood.

Brooke slipped off the bed and ran to the in-room bathroom. Before Peyton could speak to her, Brooke was kneeling at the toilet losing the contents of her stomach, which wasn't much at all. When she had purged herself of her own disgust, Brooke washed her face and hugged Peyton. She finally spoke to the blonde.

"Let's go home, P. Sawyer."

Peyton didn't want to let go of Brooke, "Brooke? Are you okay? I mean, are we okay?"

"Definitely not," Brooke laughed bitterly, "But as long as you don't leave my sight for the next couple of years, we'll be fine."

"I'm not going anywhere," Peyton frowned, "I wouldn't feel safe anyplace else, at least not yet."

Brooke looked at Peyton with nothing but seriousness and love, "Peyton, I know that we're now both dealing with some Derek issues, but you come first to me. What he did to you…"

It took all Brooke had not to break down and cry. She knew she had to be strong for Peyton. She knew she had to be the one who would be there to hold Peyton when the night got so bad that neither of them could see good any more. Killing Derek solved nothing, because the pain he inflicted was already done.

Brooke continued through teary eyes, "What he did to you was unthinkable, and I don't want you trying to be strong for me. I need you, Peyton. I need you to go through what you need to go through in order to heal. And it's not going to be now, or overnight. It probably won't be in the next few months, but no matter how long it takes, we'll go through it together. Promise me."

Peyton nodded and embraced Brooke again, "I promise."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I could see the pain and darkness in her eyes. They matched the image I had seen in my own eyes. She was lost. I was lost. I knew we were both ready to get back home and deal with everything that had happened. We would need all of our friends, and we would need only each other.

It was going to be a complicated time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The house had been cleaned and everything that had been knocked out of place when Derek had been there was in its place again. Deb had managed to come through for everyone as she was the one who had cleaned everything up. She had come and gone before the crew had landed back at the airport.

With the sun shining like a cheery morning song, Peyton and Brooke had been escorted home by Lucas and Haley. Karen had gone to the grocery store for Peyton and Brooke, knowing that there wasn't much to eat in the house. Rachel went to her house to get Brooke and Peyton's things. Whitey and Dan both had business to attend to, and Nathan wouldn't say where he needed to go, just that he had to get there in a hurry.

Peyton and Brooke stood on the doormat with Haley and Lucas behind them. The daunting task of entering the house was making them both nervous wrecks. Haley shook her head.

"I'll go first," she opened the door and looked at her two friends. She could see their hearts hurting merely by the lack of shine in their hazel eyes. "There's nothing to be afraid of here. Your house doesn't hold the memories, Peyton, they'll be with you no matter where you sleep. Coming here, staying here, with Brooke, it's the first step to healing. Trust me."

Brooke and Peyton looked at Haley's outstretched hand, and after a few seconds they took it and followed her inside. Lucas was close behind. He had been silent for the most part, just giving Peyton and Brooke their space. He wanted nothing more than to tell Peyton how in love with her he was, and that he finally realized he wouldn't be able to live without her.

He also knew that it wasn't fair to put that on her today or anytime soon for that matter. She was in a painful way. And he was not going to interfere with her being able to heal.

They continued inside. Brooke whispered to Peyton and Peyton nodded softly. Brooke was going to take a shower and Peyton was actually starving. Lucas and Haley conversed for a mere second before deciding that Haley would go upstairs with Brooke and try to get her to open up, and Lucas would cook Peyton some lunch.

Lucas watched Haley disappear up the stairs and then followed Peyton to the kitchen.

"I'll fix you a gilled cheese," he said after examining the contents of the fridge and cabinets.

Peyton worked on a smile and managed to find a sweet but subtle grin, "That sounds good actually."

Lucas made sure that he didn't visibly walk on eggshells with Peyton. He wanted her to know that in his eyes she was no different than before. She was still the strong, beautiful, stubborn, highly intelligent girl that he had fallen in love with. But inside, Lucas was trembling with fear that she would never let him get close to her again, physically or emotionally.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haley stepped into the bathroom after Brooke had gotten into the shower. Haley wasn't sure how she was going to broach the subject of how Derek had died, but she somehow knew that it was her duty as a friend to get Brooke to talk about it.

"Hey Tigger," Haley said as she sat on the bathroom counter. "How you doing?"

Brooke shook her head and almost smiled at the use of her old nickname Haley had given her, "Fine tutor girl, and you?"

Haley smirked, "Well, I'm pretty crappy actually. My two best friends are in hell and I know there's some talking that needs to be done and a certain brunette by the name of Brooke isn't about to hide herself from me, the smartest girl in Tree Hill."

Brooke actually laughed. It almost felt good, but at the same time, she didn't feel like she deserved to feel good.

"How did it feel, Brooke?" Haley asked cautiously.

"You mean killing a man?" Brooke asked sadly. She was glad Haley couldn't see her face.

Haley bit the inside of cheek, choosing her words carefully, "Brooke, I know you must feel very unsure of how to feel, but Derek deserved what he got. I hate that you had to be the one to give it to him, but you saved Peyton's life. You literally saved her life. If you hadn't killed him, then he would have killed Peyton and you."

Brooke knew Haley was right, but she still felt remorse and guilt. She wondered if it would ever go away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I could feel him watching me eat. The sandwich was delicious but I was so nervous around Luke. It wasn't that I was scared, or afraid of him. Maybe I was afraid of what he thought of me now. I could barely stand to be in my own body. I didn't see how Lucas would ever want me now. Not that I was even close to ready for that or that he was even interested in me like that before all of this happened.

"I love you Peyton," he spoke so deeply and sweetly that I almost choked on the small bite I was chewing.

I swallowed the bite and drank a sip of water, "Um…I love you too Luke."

"I know we're friends and all, and I just want you to know that I'm going to be here for you, no matter what. Always."

"You're always saving me, huh?" I tried to smile.

His face fell, "Not this time."

No, I guess he hadn't saved me this time, but I didn't hold it against him. I was going to survive….somehow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haley waited in Peyton's room for Brooke to get out of the bathroom. She stared at Peyton's bed and wondered if something different should be done with the room. She had been staring and thinking so hard that she hadn't heard a fully dressed, wet-haired Brooke step up beside her.

"Makes my stomach hurt," Brooke said softly, staring sadly at Peyton's bed, the same way Haley was.

Haley nodded, "We should change it. For Peyton. We should make it safe for her to come back in here…now that he's not going to hurt her ever again."

Brooke leaned against Peyton's desk and released a pent up sigh, "We have such a long road ahead of us, don't we?"

Again, Haley nodded, "Yeah. But you and Peyton…you have us. All of us. We're not going to let you guys get lost or falter. We're here, you know that, right?"

It was Brooke's turn to nod, "I can deal with what I did, but I'm having a hard time dealing with what he did to Peyton."

They were both looking at the ground. Haley shifted her weight. Her belly had grown ever so slightly in the passing weeks, "It's not something any of us can deal with in a few days time, especially her."

"I know Hales, but I found her that night. I saw her right after, and the impact it's made…I know that Peyton will never be the same, and neither will I."

"What was it like, Brooke?" Haley look as though she was scared to ask. "What was she like when you found her.

Brooke realized that none of them had really discussed that night. Everyone knew what had happened to Peyton, but no one but Brooke knew how badly Peyton had been hurt. She wanted to share that night with Haley, to let her into their pain and let her help them heal.

"I had almost hit Derek with my car. He looked so…angry. I saw that her front door was open. I knew something was wrong. Even though Peyton and I hadn't been talking, it was like I could hear her hurting. I could feel her needing me. Does that make sense?"

Haley simply nodded and waited for Brooke to continue, "I could hear her whimpering, crying. She didn't have any clothes on and she was huddled in a ball in the corner. The room was lit up by all these candles and the light was dim. I barely noticed it though, because I could see her eyes, I could see the fear. Peyton wasn't there. It's like she was hiding so far inside herself she might never come out. Hales, I wanted to hold her and never let her go. I was so scared that I would lose her forever. I can't lose her, Haley. I can't. Never again."

Haley hugged Brooke, and Brooke let her. Brooke's tears would not come, although her heart was breaking for her best friend. She was thankful they had a wonderful support group in their friends. She let go of Haley and looked around the room. Peyton's drawings decorated the room. There were new ones that Brooke hadn't seen. She knew they must have been drawn while she and Peyton were not friends. She looked at the one framed picture on the shelf in Peyton's room. It was of the two of them. Peyton had never given up hope, even when Brooke had.

Her eyes scanned the carious drawings. They fell on a charcoal creation of a tombstone and two girls walking away from it. She could tell from the drawing that the two girls were angels of sorts, and that it was Brooke and Peyton in the drawing. The tombstone said, "B and P, BFF."

Brooke felt her cheeks dampen with a few tears, "God, Haley…how could I have been so cruel to her? How could I have been such a bitch. Peyton was only being honest with me. If she and I hadn't been fighting she might not have been so willing to trust Derek. I could have stopped him. I could have looked after her, protected her somehow."

Haley wasn't sure what to say. There were a lot of things that would have prevented Peyton from befriending Derek, but none of them happened. What mattered was it had happened and they now had to pick up the pieces, "You're here now, Brooke. Make it matter."

Brooke nodded, "You're right…something needs to be done to this room. Soon. There's no way she can sleep in this bed ever again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay," Lucas laughed, "You got me. I actually burned a secret CD of Britney Spears songs."

I laughed out loud and almost shocked myself by doing so. It felt good. I had been living a nightmare for so many hours in a row, that I forgot that there was some lightness to the world. I didn't stop smiling though. It was a slight smile, but a real one nonetheless. Lucas made me feel like there was hope. Brooke made me feel safe, and Lucas gave me hope.

"So…what's next, Peyton?"

Damn, he turned serious on me. I was enjoying the lightness. My smile faded into a frown. And I weighed his question carefully in my minded. I realized that life would have to go on now. I wouldn't be able to hide in my house and keep myself and Brooke away from the world forever. We would have to go to school eventually and we would have to take pop quizzes and go to cheerleading practice and talk to people who knew everything that had happened.

I hadn't watched the news yet, but I was certain we were the afternoon's headlines, and if we weren't yet, then by the 5 o'clock news we would be. After all, a man was dead. He was a rapist and a would-be murderer, but he was dead, and what news reporter didn't want to sensationalize the killing of a rapist.

"I guess school would be next," I finally answered him. "I guess Brooke and I will go back to school on Monday and try to make it past all the stares and whispers."

"You guys won't be alone. You'll have all of us."

He was always so kind and soft spoken. I thought about Brooke and it made my heart break, "It's my fault, Luke."

I couldn't stop the tears from forming, he tried to argue, "No, Peyton it's not your…"

"Brooke wouldn't be involved in this mess if she hadn't helped me that night. She wouldn't have been in Gatlinburg if I had listened to her in the first place and hadn't tried to take him on by myself."

It seemed like it had all taken place a decade ago, and yet the bruises and aches all over my body and the still scratchy quality of my voice definitely reminded me that it had been all too recent.

"How will I make this up to Brooke, Lucas? How do I make up for getting her involved? She was forced to kill him, because of me."

"Brooke loves you Peyton. Even in the last few months, since you guys stopped being friends, I know she still considered you her best friend. I could see it when she would watch you carefully. I know she was always wondering how you were and if you were lonely."

"If that was true Luke, then why didn't she just say it? Why didn't we just make up or whatever and get over it?"

"Why were you two fighting anyway?"

My mouth went dry. I had forgotten that Lucas had no idea how I really felt about him.

"You know what, it doesn't matter now. What matters now is tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that, and trying to get through it."

Brooke's voice resounded through the room, making me feel powerful and safe, "I couldn't agree more."

I turned to look and her and Hales. They were both teary eyed. I knew they had been in my room, a place I had yet to visit.

"Brooke and I have a surprise for you, but we need to make a few calls. Care if we borrow your phone?"

I eyed them suspiciously and nodded, "Go ahead. But it better not involve confetti or balloons."

Brooke stuck her tongue out at me and for half a second I felt normal. At least until I turned the wrong way in my chair and I felt the cuts on the back of my thigh burn. "Mine" it was like he was whispering in my ear. I must have gone pale, because Brooke was by my side in the blink of an eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you okay?" Brooke was kneeling next to Peyton's chair looking up into her green eyes.

Peyton nodded slowly, "Yeah, just…just a pain, that's all."

"You wouldn't hold out on me, right?" Brooke asked.

Peyton threw her arms around Brooke's neck, "No."

Brooke held her for a few moments before Peyton pulled away, "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."

Brooke smiled softly, "Anytime you need to do that Peyton, don't apologize. It's what friends are for. Best friends. Right?"

Peyton nodded, "Right."

"Okay, if you're sure you're okay I've got to talk to Lucas and Haley and send them away to work on your surprise."

Peyton looked at Brooke uncertainly, "Okay."

"Trust me," Brooke flipped her a smile over her shoulder, "You won't be disappointed. I hope."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I had been sitting alone in the kitchen while Brooke, Lucas and Haley worked on Brooke's plan whatever it was. I was afraid to move, afraid somehow the present would rewind into the past and I would be in my room alone with Derek. A knock on the back door startled me into reality. I looked through the window and actually felt some amusement upon seeing Rachel's face smiling back at me.

I opened the door and hugged Rachel, "Hi. I'm glad you came."

"Well, I had to bring Brooke's stuff over and your bag too. And I wanted to see how you were doing."

I poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table again, "Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly," Rachel looked at me, concern and care on her face.

"Well, I hurt all over, my best friend killed my rapist to save my life, and I can never sleep in my own bed again."

Rachel nodded sympathetically, "That sucks."

I had to chuckle at her simple answer, "Yeah, I guess so."

"So where is that best friend of yours anyway?"

I shrugged, "She's in the living room with Lucas and Haley. I've been banned from eavesdropping because apparently they're planning some surprise for me."

"Scary," her voice was monotone.

I liked Rachel. She was always honest even though not always nice. She didn't fake anything.

"Tell me about it," I smiled, "I tried to tell them that I had had enough surprises in the last few days, but they didn't hear me."

Rachel looked at me seriously and I knew she was going to ask me that question, the one I was getting tired of thinking about, "I would ask how you are, but I can already see the answer to that."

Wow. She really could read a girl's mind, "Thank you, yes, not so great."

"What will make it better for now?" Rachel asked me.

I could tell she had not slept either. I wondered how many times she had thought about her sister since I had shown up on her doorstep with Brooke. I thought about her question. What would make it better for now? I honestly didn't have an answer.

"Well," she said before I could make something up, "You keep holding on, okay. It will get better."

Before I could reply, Brooke came into the room, "Rachel! So glad you're here. We need your expertise in the living room."

Rachel raised an eyebrow and I laughed softly, "Looks like you've been recruited."

Rachel allowed Brooke to pull her away and mouthed an apology to me. I didn't mind. I had some thinking to do. Both about our situation and also what in the world were they planning in there?


	15. Broken and Beautiful

-1Chapter 14

I don't know how long they had me waiting in the kitchen. Long enough to read three magazines, drink four cups of coffee and hear several loud bangs followed by laughter. I wanted to be a part of whatever fun they were having, and yet, I didn't feel like laughing. I heard another thud and then another round of laughter. They were in my room, a place I was no where near ready to be in. I could imagine what they were doing in there. Maybe painting the walls or changing the comforter. Would it help? I had no idea.

I heard Brooke yell and then she shrieked. My heart stopped beating for a few seconds as I heard her cussing and then there was silence. I couldn't tell if she was talking to Lucas, Haley, Rachel and Nathan, who had joined the secret party an hour earlier, or if she was silent. I stood from the kitchen table and realized how badly my legs hurt from sitting for so long. I had been in the kitchen since we had gotten home and now dark was falling. I checked the back door and despite knowing we were safe from Derek, I double locked it. Lightening can strike twice.

I eased into the hallway and stared up the stairs. They were moving around. Before I could take one step toward the upper level, Brooke appeared at the door.

"Peyton," she said, her bruised forehead darkened as the hours had passed, "do you have a band-aid?"

I noticed she was holding her right hand, "Are you okay?"

"Yup," she smiled slightly, "Just a hammering incident."

I looked at her with questioning eyes, "I'll be up with it in a second, if you guys are ready for me.?"

Brooke looked back into the room and then looked back at me, "Yeah, we're ready."

I nodded and went to get the band-aid. I climbed the stairs to my room, the room where I had lost so much. Brooke waited on me, eyeing me with concern and care. When I reached the landing next to her, she hugged me, "I hope you like it."

I swallowed the knot in my throat and then walked into my room. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe they would do that.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Brooke watched Peyton's face as she surveyed the completely redecorated room. She could tell Peyton wanted to cry. She could also tell that Peyton was happy. At least, Brooke thought, she looked relieved.

Haley smiled nervously, "What do you think?"

Peyton licked her dry lips, "I don't know what to say."

A tear rolled slowly down her cheek, "It's beautiful."

Brooke hugged her from the side. Nathan and Lucas looked almost as tired as Peyton did. They had been her physical laborers. Rachel grinned from the top bunk of the mahogany wood bunk beds.

Brooke's voice cracked a little as she spoke, "I thought we could flip for who gets which bunk."

Peyton nodded, "Where's the old bed?"

"Lucas and Nathan took it apart and threw it out the window. They're going to haul it to the landfill tomorrow," Haley answered.

Peyton sat down at a completely new desk, "This is nice."

She stared at the computer for a minute. Brooke could tell she was revisiting the recent mistakes she had made where Derek was concerned. Brooke pulled Peyton up and drug her to the closet.

"Look, P. Sawyer," she opened the door, which made Peyton shudder inside, "We redid the shelves in here so we can both fit all our stuff here now."

Peyton was quiet, but did nod her approval. She wanted to lay down and rest, that's all she wanted to do. Haley, Nathan, Rachel, and Lucas got the not-so-subtle hint from Brooke when she asked them if they were ready to leave. Peyton smiled and hugged her friends goodnight, all promising to see her again in the morning.

As she and Brooke closed the door, Peyton thanked her friends profusely for her new room, and her new hope. Brooke turned to Peyton when the house was quiet. She laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"How are you best friend?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That wasn't the easiest question to answer after everything we had been through. I leaned against Brooke and she leaned against me as we climbed the stairs. I could tell she was as tired as I was. I couldn't fathom that Derek was no longer a threat, much less that Brooke had killed him.

"I think I'll live," I finally answered as we changed clothes and climbed into the bunk beds. I took the top bunk so I could be a lookout, Brooke took the bottom bed in order to keep anything or anyone from getting to me first. We were insane, but we had reason to be.

We turned the lights off and each sat still in the silent darkness. Thirty minutes had passed before I heard Brooke's raspy voice cut through the dark.

"Peyton?" she sounded sad, "Are you still awake."

"No," I smiled despite the fact that I was shaking in fear from being in my room again. They changed everything, but they couldn't change the ceiling.

"Shutup," she laughed as I heard her climb up the ladder to my bunk. "Move over, skinny girl."

I shifted in the bed and made room for my friend, "What's wrong?"

Brooke snuggled up to me, "Nothing, I just…I was wondering something."

She sounded so serious, "What?"

"Can you forgive me?"

Forgive her? For what? I searched for her facial expression in the darkness and could see the tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Brooke, what on earth do I have to forgive?"

"For not being here for you for the past few months, for being a bitch, for pretending to hate you and be mad at you, for ignoring you when all I wanted to do was tell you the truth."

"Which is?"

Brooke sniffled with her tears, "That I missed you and that I've needed you, and that I can't make it through life without you as my best friend."

I snuggled back. She sounded so desperate and so lost. I thought I had that market cornered, but apparently Brooke and I were two of a kind. Inseparable souls.

"All is forgiven, Brooke," I sighed, "I love you buddy."

We fell asleep together on the top bunk. We were like children both needing our mothers, something neither of us really had. We both woke during the night plagued by vivid dreams and terrible hells. I knew tomorrow would bring a new dawn, and maybe some new hope. Brooke and I would never be the same, but maybe, just maybe, we could be stronger, better. The future was dark with uncertainty, the days ahead would be filled with stares at school, healing, breaking, and an endless cycle of the whole process. Brooke was beautiful and I was broken, and maybe if someone asked her, she would say I was beautiful and she was broken. Whatever the future held, whatever the destiny we all faced, I knew one thing, when Brooke came through the open door, she saved my life and that's something I could never regret.

THE END


	16. Author's End Note

-1AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey everyone! Thank all of you so much for reviewing this story. I know it feels like it's unresolved, or even unfinished, but that's because I want to come back to this story later, I want there to be a part two, where a few months have passed and Brooke and Peyton begin to move forward with their lives, Peyton with Lucas, and Brooke with the man of her dreams.


End file.
